'YouTube' cop charged
December 29, 2009
A former Russian policeman who accused his superiors of corruption on video sharing website YouTube will himself face prosecution for abuse of office. Russian investigators say former police major Alexei Dymovsky embezzled about 560 euros while working as a narcotics investigator.
The three videos posted by Dymovsky in early November sparked a public outcry against corruption in Russia, as well as a police investigation into his claims.
Videos received more than 1 million views
In the videos, Dymovsky accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes. He also appealed to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to tackle police corruption. Dymovsky claims he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. Within days, the videos had more than 1 million views on YouTube.
However, police investigations into the allegations found no substantial evidence. Dymovsky was fired soon after the videos were posted.
Dymovsky says the charges against him were fabricated. “They want to silence me and gain revenge,” he told Reuters.
Corruption is widespread within Russian society, and global surveys have repeatedly ranked the country as one of the most corrupt in the world.
mk/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Tony Dunham