Vladas Dunauskas, the former head of the Department for the Organization of District Police and Juvenile Affairs Units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Novosibirsk Region, is on trial in the Central District Court of Novosibirsk, accused of systematically receiving bribes and fraud. He is accused of accepting over 5 million rubles from cash-out operators in exchange for protection.

Dunauskas, who retired in 2019 after 27 years in internal affairs, vehemently denies the charges, claiming he is a victim of slander and unfamiliar with financial crimes. His defense lawyer asserts a lack of objective evidence and inconsistencies in the charges.

According to the investigation, Dunauskas allegedly began receiving bribes in 2016 from businessman Anton Evlanov, who sought protection for his cash-out operations. Evlanov allegedly offered Dunauskas two-thirds of his illegal income in exchange for monitoring his subordinates and warning him about potential inspections. The prosecution claims that Dunauskas used Sergei Salishev, then deputy director of TSU, as an intermediary.

From August 2016 to September 2019, Dunauskas allegedly received between 30,000 and 250,000 rubles monthly, totaling almost 4 million rubles. Even after retiring, he allegedly continued receiving payments until the end of 2023, defrauding his accomplices of over 1.1 million rubles by falsely claiming he was still providing protection.

The prosecution’s case relies heavily on the testimonies of Evlanov and Salishev, both of whom have prior convictions. Evlanov received a suspended sentence for operating an illegal poker club, while Salishev received a suspended sentence for organizing a network of underground casinos.

Dunauskas contends that the witnesses are slandering him to receive lighter sentences. He argues that he does not understand the intricacies of financial crimes, and that there is no actual evidence to support the charges.

The trial continues as the court examines the evidence and hears further arguments from both sides.