A third man has been detained in a bribery investigation centering on Deputy Russian Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, the Moscow court service said on Thursday.
It said Alexander Fomin, the co-founder of a construction company called Olimpsitistroy, was suspected of paying bribes to Ivanov, who was detained on Tuesday, and Sergei Borodin, a close associate of Ivanov who is also in custody.
The scandal is the biggest in years to hit the defense ministry, and is seen as a severe blow to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The court service said Fomin was suspected of "providing services" to Ivanov, Borodin and others in the form of goods, work and services relating to property renovation.
"Also, Fomin and other persons, acting as an organized group, contributed to Ivanov's receipt of a particularly large bribe in the form of the illegal provision of property-related services to him," it said.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday dismissed media speculation about the reasons behind the arrest of Ivanov on bribery charges, and urged reporters to focus on official information.
Asked about a report that Ivanov was suspected of treason, Peskov said: "There are many different interpretations around all this now."
"You need to focus on official information," Peskov said. "It is necessary to focus on the information of the investigative authorities and, ultimately, on the court's decision."
Ivanov was detained on Tuesday at work by the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
Moscow's Basmanny District Court ordered Ivanov be kept in custody until June 23. Ivanov, 48, dressed in his uniform, was shown standing in a glass cage in court, frowning slightly, footage released by the court service showed.
