The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), Russian opposition politician and blogger Aleksei Navalny's activist group, says it has found documentation showing luxury properties worth more than 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million) belonging to the family of the Moscow State Prosecutor Denis Popov, raising questions over how such valuable real estate purchases were funded.
In its report published on November 11, the foundation claims it found a 1,000 square-meter townhouse with 19 apartments in Montenegro that belongs to Popov's former wife, Irina Popova, and which Popov, and his children use on a regular basis.
In addition to that, Navalny's group found an apartment in Spain worth 645,000 euros ($710,000) which was purchased by Irina Popova in 2010, when the couple was still married.
Popov was the former prosecutor in Daghestan before being nominated in May to become the Moscow prosecutor. His candidacy was approved by President Vladimir Putin on September 7. His wife is listed officially as being unemployed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the FBK materials regarding Popov and his property will be looked into "if need be," adding that Popov's background had been thoroughly investigated before he was appointed to his current post.
"An absolutely detailed check was carried out," he said, adding that the presidential administration may again check Popov’s declaration "if they consider it necessary to do this," he said.
According to the FBK, Popov's wife also owns a fishery complex with dozens of houses, a hotel, a restaurant, a tennis court, and a swimming-poll, on a bank of the Volga River in Russia's Astrakhan region. The group says Popov visits the complex regularly to have a rest and fish.
Also, the FBK says, Popov personally uses a Mercedes ML350 car that officially belongs to his ex-wife.
Another property, a summer house in the Moscow region is officially owned by Popov's 79-year-old mother, according to the FBK, which alleges Popov registered the property in his mother's name to avoid showing it in his tax declaration.
The FBK regularly publishes materials about the luxurious properties and wealth of Russian officials, accusing them of corruption, but none of its investigations has been legally pursued by the authorities.
