# Former Russian Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov charged in absentia over pyramid scheme

https://mins.news/en/item/45987

- Meduza, 2026-09-04 20:26 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/04/former-russian-communications-minister-nikolai-nikiforov-named-suspect-in-pyramid-scheme-he-was-charged-in-absentia-he-now-lives-in-the-uae

> Russia’s Interior Ministry has charged former communications minister Nikolai Nikiforov in absentia with organizing a criminal syndicate and large-scale fraud, according to Kommersant. He is a defendant in the Finiko pyramid-scheme case and is suspected of being among its creators. The scheme promised returns of up to 25%; after payments stopped, about 8,000 investors reportedly lost roughly 5 billion rubles. Nikiforov mostly lives in the UAE.