Russia Opens Criminal Case Against Power Firm Chairman

Russian authorities have detained the chairman of power company Quadra and opened a criminal case against him.

The Investigative Committee said on June 22 that Yevgeny Dod was suspected of awarding himself an excessive bonus -- worth 73 million rubles ($1.13 million) -- for the 2013 results of state-owned hydropower producer Rushydro, where he was chief executive.

A criminal case was also opened against Rushydro's chief accountant, Dmitry Finkel, who was put in detention.

Dod, a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin, was dismissed from his post at Rushydro last year.

He was appointed Quadra's chairman in March.

The firm is controlled by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, whose businesses have come under intense official scrutiny in the past few weeks.

In April, Russian authorities launched a criminal case against RBC, a media group owned by Prokhorov, over alleged fraud.

Based on reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax