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Prosecutor demands 9 years sentence for former Tula region governor accused of corruption

Vyacheslav Dudka is accused of taking a 40-million-rouble bribe

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 16 (Itar-Tass) - A prosecutor has demanded 9.5 years and a 900,000-rouble fine for former Tula region governor Vyacheslav Dudka, accused of taking a 40-million-rouble bribe.

"The guilt of the defendant is fully proven," the prosecutor for the state said at the trial on Tuesday.

He also demanded that Dudka be stripped of his title "honorary citizen of Tula," and all the orders of honor. The prosecutor insists on a four-year jail term and a 400,000-rouble fine for Dudka's accomplice, former director of the regional department for property and land relations Viktor Volkov. The prosecutor asked the court to take into account Volkov's turning himself in, confession of guilt and assistance in exposing the crime.

Criminal proceedings against Dudka were opened under Article 290, Part 4 of Russia's Criminal Code (taking a large bribe by a group of persons in collusion or organized group). It envisions a penalty of 7 to 12 years in jail, with a possible fine of up to one million roubles.

The investigators said Dudka, together with the regional land and property department chief Viktor Volkov, passed a 2.5-hectare land plot to the GRINN corporation for the construction of a supermarket. The intermediary in taking the bribe from managing director of the GRINN Corporation private company Dmitry Dobrynin was Tula Parks state company director Andrei Stepanov.

On November 17, 2010, he received the whole sum from Dobrynin and kept it at his place.

On January 6, 2011, he gave away over 40 million roubles to agents of the Federal Security Service's regional department, who were taking measures to intercept the illegal actions by the bribe-takers Dudka and Volkov.

Criminal proceedings were opened against Stepanov over mediating the bribe, and against Dobrynin - over giving a bribe.

Dudka, a former troubleshooter at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and a participant in designing and testing military equipment, was Tula region governor from April 29, 2005, through July 29, 2011. He replaced his predecessor Vasily Starodubtsev.

On August 29, 2011, Dudka was expelled from the United Russia Party for "actions discrediting the Party and damaging its political interests," after he demanded compensation for his voluntary resignation.

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