The Deputy Minister of Culture of Stavropol has been arrested in connection with the theft of 19 million rubles.

The Leninsky District Court of Stavropol has remanded the First Deputy Minister of Culture of the Stavropol Territory in custody in connection with a multimillion-ruble embezzlement case related to the organization of the All-Russian Creative Festival of Working Youth.

According to investigators, the official served as First Deputy Minister of Culture and was responsible for the preparation and implementation of large-scale cultural events in the region, including the "At the Height" festival, which was held as an all-Russian creative forum for working youth.

Investigators allege that she acted as part of a group of individuals in a prior conspiracy, which, according to other case materials, also included an assistant to the governor of the region and representatives of commercial entities specializing in event organization. The group's members pre-assigned roles to officials and contractors to purchase services at inflated prices and siphon off the difference as embezzled budget funds, Kommersant reported today, citing the press service of the Stavropol Krai courts.

Documents submitted to the regional House of Folk Art listed inflated prices for services, resulting in the theft of more than 19 million rubles from the budget.

The accused has been remanded in custody for one month and six days. The criminal case is being investigated under the article on fraud on an especially large scale, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a large fine, the press service clarified.

The 1st All-Russian Creative Festival of Working Youth "At the Heights" was held in Stavropol Krai in September 2022. It was organized with the support of the Stavropol Krai government, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, and the all-Russian public organization "Russian Union of Youth." The event attracted approximately 1,900 people, RIA Novosti reported.

According to the ministry's website, the position of First Deputy Minister is held by Galina Pavlova, the agency clarified.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that a court in Stavropol found two people guilty of massive fraud involving housing and property payments for displaced persons from Kherson and the Kherson region, with damages amounting to more than 106 million.