Sex, denials and videotape
Russian minister to be suspended over sex scandal
June 22, 1997
Web posted at: 2:02 p.m. EDT (1802 GMT)In this story:
- Accusations of group sex
- Minister denies involvement
- Reporter stands by video
- Related stories and sites
MOSCOW (CNN) — Russian justice minister Valentin Kovalyov will be suspended from duties in the wake of a sex scandal involving nude pictures and a video that purportedly shows him cavorting in a sauna with naked women, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said Sunday.
The prime minister said Kovalyov, who offered to step down temporarily Saturday, could be reinstated to the post if he can prove he did nothing wrong.
"If it is true, it is sad for all of us, simply sad."
— Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin
"Kovalyov denies everything. Well, he is a jurist. He knows how to defend himself. Let him prove that it is not true," Chernomyrdin said in televised comments. "If it is true, it is sad for all of us, simply sad."
"We will remove him from his post, but it's necessary to clear things up. I would not want to make a decision just based on words and publications."
Russian news agency ITAR-Tass, quoting a government spokesman said investigators are trying to determine whether the photographs are authentic.
Accusations of group sex
The photographs were first published Thursday in the Russian tabloid Sovershenno Sekretno, or Top Secret, and were taken from a videotape, parts of which were shown on Russian television Saturday night.
"Every specialist knows very well that modern technologies, including computer techniques, make it possible to put a person into any environment and situation."
— Russian justice minister Valentin Kovalyov
The newspaper said the tape was recorded secretly in September 1995 at a club allegedly frequented by the mafia and was taken from the safe of banker Arkady Angelevich, a Kovalyov adviser. Angelevich was arrested this April on accusations that he stole U.S.$7 million.
Portions of the tape appear to show Kovalyov naked in a large, whirlpool-style bath with two nude women. The three later engage in group sex. The sauna is an alleged mafia hangout
Kovalyov, 53, has been justice minister since January 1995 and is a member of Russia's Security Council. President Boris Yeltsin is in Denver attending a summit of world leaders and has yet to comment on the matter. A Yeltsin spokesman said no order on Kovalyov's dismissal had been issued.
Minister denies involvement
In his resignation letter Saturday, Kovalyov said the reports about him were "based on insinuations and aimed at discrediting my official status" and implied the footage and photographs were fake.
"Every specialist knows very well that modern technologies, including computer techniques, make it possible to put a person into any environment and situation," he said.
His lawyer Anatoly Kucherena reiterated those sentiments. "At this point, the minister and myself are absolutely sure that these are dirty tricks by some people."
Reporter stands by video
Meanwhile, the Russian Interior Ministry said the well-known crime reporter who obtained the videotape received it from the mafia and violated Kovalyov's right to privacy.
The reporter, Larisa Kislinskaya, stands by video's legitimacy.
"I don't think that group sex with mafia girls involving the justice minister is a private matter," said Kislinskaya.
CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty contributed to this report.
- Newsmaker Profile: Viktor Chernomyrdin
Related stories:
- Yeltsin targets corruption, but some are skeptical - May 20, 1997
- A Russian mob grows in Brooklyn - May 23, 1996
Related sites:
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- ITAR-TASS Home Page
- The Sexy Russian Mafia - International Association for the Study of Organized Crime
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