The former official is accused of fraud, creation, management and financing of a criminal community and theft under the guise of carrying out pseudo-investment activities of the Internet project Finiko, the file says.
Investigators are investigating more than 300 criminal cases in connection with the activities of the former head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication, Nikolai Nikiforov, who was arrested in absentia. This was written in the files of the former official, which TASS reviewed.
"On July 28, 2021, a criminal case was opened against unidentified persons on the grounds of a crime under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud on an extremely large scale), with which more than 300 criminal cases were combined into one proceeding. On September 9, 2026, Nicky 1 was charged with a felony. of art 210, part 4 art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, namely: in the creation and management of a criminal community, financing a criminal community, theft under the guise of conducting pseudo-investment activities of the Internet project Finiko, the documents available in the case say.
On September 17, the Mashchensky District Court in Moscow arrested Nikiforov in absentia. As previously reported, according to researchers, Nikiforov was one of the creators of the Finiko pyramid, whose investors were promised returns of up to 25% per year. About 8 thousand people were recognized as victims in the case, the amount of damage is estimated at about 5 billion rubles. The Moscow City Court decided to confirm the decision to arrest Nikiforov in absentia.
Nikiforov headed the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication (now the Ministry of Digital Development) between 2012 and 2018.