Moscow police officers simply added “commercial wiretap” phone numbers to those endorsed by the court under current criminal cases.
Photo: Ilya Pitalev
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Wiretap Scandal Rocks High Ranks in Moscow Police
Several top Moscow police officials are suspected of illegal wiretapping and trading in phone conversations’ transcripts. A deputy chief of the special technology activities department at Moscow police has been arrested while a deputy head of the Moscow criminal investigation department has been suspended from work.
Mikhail Yanykin, deputy director of the Moscow police’s special technology activities department, was arrested in his office earlier last week, unofficial sources of Kommersant reported Thursday. The department works in close cooperation with criminal investigators, organizing wiretapping and monitoring communication of crimes suspects. Offices of several top officials at the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department were searched.
Investigators at the Federal Security Service say that Mr. Yanykin and the Moscow criminal investigation agency may be involved in warantless wiretapping politicians and businessmen by request of their rivals. Illeagla wiretapping has become a full-fledged business, investigators say. Almost anyone was free to place an order for any wiretap transcript.
Only a court decision in a criminal case can authorize wiretapping in Russia. Moscow police officers simply added “commercial wiretap” phone numbers to those endorsed by the court for certain criminal cases. Mikhail Yanykin is believed to have signed the applications while Moscow criminal investigators were providing the criminal cases.
Federal Security Service officers seized such applications, illegal wiretap transcripts and 300,000 rubles from Mr. Yankin’s office. The official is arrested and will soon be charged with power abuse.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of June 22, 2007
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