YEKATERINBURG, August 5 (Itar-Tass) - The Kurgan Regional Court on Monday will start the consideration on the merits of the case of deputy head of the Yekaterinburg administration Viktor Konteyev who is accused of organising murders and extortion, a court official told Itar-Tass.
“The first meeting will take place on August 5, the next - on August 7,” he said.
There are 12 people placed in the dock together with Konteyev, nine of them are in custody, three - released on their own recognisance, another one released on bail. Depending on the role of each, they are charged under seven articles of the RF Criminal Code, including bribery, murder, kidnapping and extortion. The investigation of the case against Konteyev’s wife Larissa has been separated, she has been on the international wanted list for several months.
The deputy head of the city administration was detained in August 2011. According to investigators, the official extorted a bribe from the director of the Yekaterinburg-based Food Depot No 4 in the form of shares in the authorised capital of the company with a market value of more than 77 million roubles. Later, he organised the extortion of remaining shares - more than 140 million roubles. The property, according to investigators, was legalised through multiple transactions as a result of which his wife and her relatives became its owners.
The investigation also believes that Konteyev is involved in organising the murders of two businessmen. Later, another charge - accepting a bribe of five million roubles, was brought against him.
The Sverdlovsk Regional Court on April 16 made a ruling to transfer the case to another jurisdiction - the Kurgan Regional Court, as the most serious crimes of which the official is accused have been committed in the Kurgan Region.