Amina Shafikova, the long-serving Culture Ministry of Bashkortostan head since 2012, has been placed in pre-trial detention in Moscow on suspicion of corruption.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ruled Thursday that Shafikova will remain in custody until April 17. She was arrested the previous day and transferred to the Russian capital.
News reports indicate that Shafikova is suspected of taking large bribes, embezzlement, and abuse of power related to state contracts for organizing public events, allegedly set at inflated prices. The authorities have not publicly released specific details about the charges.
The Culture Ministry of Bashkortostan expressed concern about the arrest, describing Shafikova’s reputation as “unquestionable.”
Shafikova is at least the fifth high-profile figure from Bashkortostan’s Culture Ministry to face criminal prosecution. Gulnara Yurina, former head of the state-affiliated Directorate of Cultural Programs, was charged with receiving no-bid contracts for inflated cultural events and later placed under house arrest after cooperating with law enforcement.
The case is part of a broader investigation into corruption within the republic’s cultural institutions.
