From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 12/23/2005 3:42 AM
Corruption Drive in Chechnya
The Chechen authorities appear to be tackling systemic corruption, but how far-reaching will their campaign be?
By Umalt Dudayev in Grozny (CRS No. 320, 22-Dec-05)
The arrest of a senior official formerly in charge of a vast war reparations fund appears to mark a new commitment to curb corruption in Chechnya - but there are fears that corruption is so deeply entrenched that it will take more than a few headline-making cases to root it out.
Abubakir Baibatyrov, who in 2003-04 headed the committee responsible for compensating people who lost homes or other property during the years of conflict, was arrested in Moscow on November 28 and is now in detention in Grozny. He has been charged with abuse of office, and is suspected by officials of embezzling more than 15 million roubles, about 520,000 US dollars, from the fund.
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