Russia starts trial of former defence official accused of bribery and embezzlement

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A former Russian deputy defence minister went on trial in Moscow on Monday in the first of a series of cases that signal a drive by President Vladimir Putin to punish corruption in the armed forces.

Timur Ivanov was arrested in April last year on suspicion of taking bribes, and investigators added new embezzlement charges in October.

State news agency TASS said the total sum alleged to have been embezzled by Ivanov and others was 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), mostly in the form of bank transfers to two foreign accounts.

Ivanov and Anton Filatov, a former subordinate who is also on trial, have denied the charges. According to TASS, Filatov has "actively cooperated" with investigators and testified against Ivanov.

The news agency said that the court had accepted a request from prosecutors that the proceedings should take place behind closed doors on the grounds of state secrecy.

At least a dozen people have been arrested in the past year, including two other former deputy defence ministers, in the biggest wave of scandals to hit the military establishment in years.

While waging a war in Ukraine that is now into its fourth year, Putin is trying to eliminate waste, mismanagement and the siphoning of funds from Russia's rising defence budget.

Ivanov, who had served as a deputy minister since 2016, was in charge of property management, housing, construction and mortgages at the defence ministry. He had long been the subject of journalistic investigations.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny alleged that Ivanov and his family lived a life of luxury including yachts, helicopters, visits to the French Riviera, purchases of diamonds and a 19th century mansion in Moscow. Forbes magazine listed him as one of the wealthiest men in Russia's security structures.

(Reporting by Mark TrevelyanEditing by Peter Graff)