Russia's chief state auditor has accused the Russia central bank of stealing or wasting billions of dollars loaned from the International Monetary Fund and warned the West not to give any more money. Mr Venyamin Sokolov called on the West to not make any more loans to Russia until proper checks had been put in place, Russia's NTV television network said.
The IMF led a $22.6 billion (£14.86 million) bailout for Russia in July boosting its own $1.3 billion contribution earmarked for this year by $11.2 billion. The Fund has made only one disbursement, of $4.8 billion dollars.
Subsequent payments have been temporarily frozen because of ongoing uncertainty over the new government's ability to rein in the Russia's economic and financial crisis.
The auditor reportedly said some IMF money had been stolen by corrupt central bank officials. He said other amounts he investigated had simply vanished, including a $150 million dollar loan to the finance ministry so it could fund a MiG aircraft export contract.
The State Duma, the lower house of parliament dominated by nationalist and communist deputies hostile to President Boris Yeltsin, ordered the audit into the central bank on Friday.
That same day, Russia's prosecutor-general, Nr Yury Skuratov, said an investigation had been opened into the central bank and that apparent irregularities had been discovered in the way it had used international funds.
The prosecutors were specifically probing how the first IMF tranche was distributed and information alleging the transfer of huge sums to foreign bank accounts.
Former central bank chief Mr Sergei Dubinin, who resigned two weeks ago after being targeted by authorities and the opposition over the 17th August devaluation of the rouble, strongly rejected Mr Skuratov's allegations.
