Russian police investigate £1.8m Boshoi Theatre theft

Police have launched a criminal investigation into the embezzlement of 90m roubles (£1.8m) of state funds during the refurbishment of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre.

Interior ministry officials said a contractor, PO Teplotekhnik, received the money for work on the theatre’s electrical system despite not fulfilling its contract. The Bolshoi reopened in 2011 after a £630m renovation, but much of the work was of poor quality.