Vladimir Kehman, the director of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), has been released following accusations of accepting a 27 million ruble bribe. The Investigative Committee of Russia (SKR) opened a criminal case against Kehman under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code, which concerns receiving a bribe on an especially large scale.

The case is connected to an alleged incident in 2022, where Marat Karginov, General Director of the theater’s contracting company RSK-Renessans, allegedly paid 27 million rubles for a Mercedes V-class for Kehman. Karginov is also under investigation, with a mirroring criminal case opened against him under Article 291 for giving a bribe.

The investigation stems from an existing embezzlement case against Kehman. Searches were previously conducted at Karginov’s construction company offices and at a country cottage in the Moscow region registered to Kehman’s mother-in-law.

The Investigative Committee believes that the Mercedes was part of informal settlements from Karginov to Kehman for securing construction contracts at Ministry of Culture facilities. Karginov’s company, RSK-Renessans, is involved in restoring the Stock Exchange and working with the directorate of the Cultural Forum, which is also headed by Kehman.

Authorities have seized several vehicles in connection with the case, including the Mercedes involved in the alleged bribery. A similar Mercedes, a Range Rover, and a country house belonging to Kehman’s family have also been seized.