Mamedali Agaev detained in Moscow

Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Security Service of Russia detained the former director of the Theater of Satire, Mamedali Agaev, who is suspected of embezzling budget funds in the amount of 20 million rubles (about 422,394 manats - ed.).

As TASS reports, this was announced by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Irina Volk.

"Operatives of the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow, together with employees of the Federal Security Service of Russia for Moscow and the Moscow Region, detained a resident of the capital. The former director of one of the largest theaters is suspected of fraud," she wrote in her Telegram channel.

It has been preliminarily established that the detainee, together with unidentified accomplices, organized a scheme to embezzle money intended for the Moscow budget. He registered as an individual entrepreneur and concluded fraudulent copyright agreements with the theater he headed. According to these documents, the suspect allegedly created several play scripts and transferred the rights to them to the cultural institution. Based on fictitious reports of completed work, the man received income in the amount of 4% of the box office collections from each public performance.

"Several dozen performances were shown under this scheme. The amount of money stolen from the Moscow budget exceeded 20 million rubles," added the department representative.

A criminal case has been initiated under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Searches were conducted at the suspect's place of residence, during which money was seized, as well as items and documents of evidentiary value. Documentation was seized from the theater.

M. Agaev was taken to the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Central Administrative District of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow for investigative actions. The accounts of the detainee and his close relatives have been frozen.

Mamedali Agaev headed the Moscow Academic Theater of Satire from 1992 to 2021. In 2021, he left the post of his own accord. The figure has several awards and titles in the field of art and culture: Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation (1995), Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation (2018). In March 2020, he was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the President of the Russian Federation.