20.05 Russian High-Tech Hub Boss Quizzed on Opposition Funding
MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) - The president of Russia's Skolkovo Foundation, billionaire businessman Viktor Vekselberg has been questioned by the Investigative Committee over an alleged misuse of funds to support the opposition, the foundations deputy head Alexander Chernov said on Monday.
Viktor Feliksovich [Vekselberg] provided exhaustive answers to the questions he was asked, Chernov said.
Vekselberg denied allegations on Wednesday that the foundation funded the political opposition.
Russian investigators have opened a criminal case against the Skolkovo Foundations vice president, Alexei Beltyukov, on suspicion he embezzled $750,000 that he allegedly paid to Ilya Ponomaryov, a member of A Just Russia, between February 2011 and February 2012 for a series of lectures and research projects.
Ponomaryov was paid $300,000 to deliver 10 lectures in various Russian cities, and another $450,000 for scientific and research work, the Investigative Committee said earlier this month. Investigators said they were looking into the deal to check how much of the work Ponomaryov has fulfilled.
