In the early 1990s, Russian President Vladimir Putin was handp | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

In the early 1990s, Russian President Vladimir Putin was handpicked to lead St. Petersburg's External Relations Committee.

The committee is where lawyer Aleksei Leonardov began his career. By the time he left, it was ensnared in one of its first bribery scandals under Putin's watch, and Leonardov was accused in a scheme to funnel $2 million out of Russia through a company linked to Putin's committee.

He soon found himself in jail.

This is the second part of our investigation into the corruption scandals swirling around Putin and his close associates at the start of his political career.

https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-bribe-scandal/31867449.html