Russian-Jewish billionaire and communal funder arrested for alleged bribes
(JTA) — Boris Spiegel, a Russian-Jewish pharmaceuticals mogul, has been arrested in Moscow in connection with a corruption investigation.
Spiegel, who has donated substantial time and effort to various Jewish community projects and the World Without Nazism anti-racism organization that he founded, was charged with offering a local politician the equivalent of about $400,000 in bribes, RIA Novosti reported Monday.
Spiegel’s wife, Yevgenia, was also arrested along with several other individuals in connection with the corruption investigation that began with an inspection into the affairs of Ivan Belozertsev, the governor of the Penza region, situated about 300 miles southeast of Moscow.
All the suspects have denied the actions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of weaponizing the judiciary to neutralize critics. Spiegel, however, has not clashed with Putin and is considered friendly to the president.
The arrests come six months before the September Russian legislative election, which Putin’s critics are trying to turn into a referendum on his authoritarianism and alleged corruption by his cronies.
Earlier this year, many Russians were outraged at reports that Putin owns a vast Black Sea resort featuring a casino, an ice rink and a vineyard. Alexey Navalny, a rival of Putin who is currently in jail for what many believe are trumped up charges, claimed Putin was the property’s owner in a video that went viral. But Arkady Rotenberg, a Jewish gas magnate, said he owned the resort.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
