Police raid government office in Moscow

MOSCOW, March 18 (UPI) -- Police in Moscow raided the Russian Finance Ministry offices, seizing documents allegedly related to a wide-reaching fraud case.

The police Monday seized documents related to the Finance Ministry's operations with the company Sodexim, Itar-Tass reported.

Investigators charge the plan was to steal from the treasury through fraudulent claims by Sodexim for expenses.

In November, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak was charged with attempted embezzlement and fraud. He has also been charged with abuse of his office.

Sodexim Director General Victor Zakharov and Interregional Investment Board Chairman Bank Vadim Volkov are also suspects in the case, the news agency said.

After the raid, Storchak's attorney Igor Pastukhov told Itar-Tass the documents police were looking for were already prepared in advance to send to investigators.