The deputy director of the Federal Penitentiary Service Valery Maksimenko in an interview with the RT television channel described the reasons why former Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev, ex-governor of the Kirov region Nikita Belykh and former head of the FSIN Alexander Reimer worked as librarians in penal colonies.

Maksimenko noted that all three convicts had previously worked in "large state positions". "These are people with great intelligence, experience, potential," he added.

The deputy head of the FSIN also noted that Ulyukaev had reached retirement age (a former official of 62. - RBC), and Belykh had health problems during the process (he was called an ambulance during court hearings).

The fact that Ulyukaev, Belykh and Raymer work as librarians in their colonies, on July 31, said the head of the international human rights group "Agora" Pavel Chikov in Telegram.

Ulyukayev was found guilty in December 2017 of extortion and taking bribes on an especially large scale from the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin and sentenced to eight years in a strict-regime colony (in April 2018, the Moscow City Court upheld the sentence on the main points). His ex-minister did not admit his guilt. He is serving a sentence in a colony in the Tver region.

The whites were also sentenced to eight years in a strict regime colony in February 2018, having found guilty of taking bribes. The former Kirov governor was sent to the Ryazan region.

Raymer was involved in a fraud case involving the purchase of electronic bracelets for the FSIN. In 2017, he was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined, later the Moscow City Court ruled out a fine, but the rest of the verdict remained in force. Raymer also did not admit his guilt. He is in a colony in the Sverdlovsk region.