Poleshchuk ended his service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in April 2020 due to his retirement. And at the end of August this year, he unexpectedly learned that a criminal case had been initiated against him in connection with abuse of power when paying for a government contract for the capital construction of a 100-apartment building for employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The case against Poleshchuk was initiated by the investigative department of the RF Investigative Committee for the Republic of Ingushetia, despite the fact that a year ago an inspection was already carried out on this fact, which did not reveal any violations or signs of a crime on Poleshchuk’s part. Moreover, signs of a crime were found in the activities of Kh.B. Kartoev, director of Prof-Stroy LLC. A criminal case was opened against him for the theft of an especially large amount of funds paid under a government contract for the construction of the above-mentioned apartment building (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Kartoev disappeared and is currently wanted. 
Mikhail Poleshchuk’s defense believes that “the initiation of a criminal case may be in the nature of revenge for his legal actions during the unrest in 2019.”
It was Poleshchuk who had to give the command on March 27, 2019, on the basis of the law and in accordance with the instructions of the central apparatus of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, to forcefully oust the protesters against the land exchange agreement with the Chechen Republic. Later, more than 50 organizers and participants in the riots, among whom were authoritative Ingush elders, were found guilty of using violence against government officials, dangerous to life and health (Part 2 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), as well as organizing and participating in extremist community (part 1, part 2 of article 281.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Poleshchuk’s actions in 2019, despite numerous complaints about his abuse of power, were recognized as legal.
The current initiation of a case against Poleshchuk under Article 286, according to his defense, is similar to clan revenge for those events, and therefore it can hardly be impartially investigated within the republic, where the colonel has many ill-wishers.
In March 2019, in the city of Magas in the Republic of Ingushetia, the police, in order to maintain law and order, were forced to forcefully oust protesters against an agreement with the Chechen Republic on a land exchange. The order was given by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs…
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
