The entry in the Interior Ministry's wanted database states that the former minister is being sought "under a Criminal Code article," according to Mediazona, which spotted the listing. No further details were given in the record.
Nikiforov has been charged in absentia with organizing a criminal community and large-scale fraud. Investigators allege he was involved in setting up Finiko, a financial pyramid scheme.
Nikiforov headed the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media from 2012 to 2018. Before that federal post, he served as minister of informatization for Tatarstan, the same region where, according to investigators, Finiko originated. After leaving his federal position, he moved to the United Arab Emirates, Kommersant reported.
The Finiko case has been under investigation for several years. The company raised money from members, promising returns on investments in securities and cryptocurrencies, and used the funds at its own discretion. At some point, dividend payments stopped. About 8,000 people were recognized as victims, and the total amount of the alleged embezzlement is estimated at around 5 billion rubles.
Business Online and Agentstvo reported that Nikiforov narrowly avoided arrest, flying to the UAE on a private jet several hours before security forces were expected to visit. His business partner, Azat Tukhvatullin, was detained in Tatarstan shortly afterward.