MOSCOW, October 10 (Itar-Tass) — The State Duma Committee for control over the reliability of the information about the incomes of deputies continues its work, after the smear war sparked up in the State Duma between the opposition and the ruling party. On Tuesday, the committee decided to check the Communist deputies – Anatoly Lokot and candidate in the Bryansk governor Vadim Potomsky. The consideration of the United Russia cases was delayed to a next meeting so that members of the committee from the Communist faction could have some time to study the evidence they produced. The Communists are convinced that the Tuesday meeting of the committee showed “some craftiness” in the work of the committee.
Chairman of the State Duma Committee Vladimir Vasilyev said on Tuesday that “the committee will get back to the routine work soon that will make it possible to protect the deputies from groundless accusations, but to bring to account for violations of the law and order,” the Kommersant daily reported. Only the Communist deputies were brought to account on Tuesday.
The newspaper recalled that chairman of the For Justice party Vladimir Ponomarenko accused Communist deputy Vadim Potomsky that the latter “is involved illegally in business activities” and “through his wife” possesses 80% of stock in the company, which “extracts the natural resources.” The committee also decided to check Communist deputy Anatoly Lokot, whom Vice-Speakers Sergei Zheleznyak (United Russia) and Igor Lebedev (LDPR) accused of lobbying commercial interests of their organization.
Only the United Russia deputies were beyond any suspicions on Tuesday. It was decided to delay the consideration of the cases versus Grigory Anikeyev and Airat Khairullin, because member of the committee from the A Just Russia Party Tatiana Moskalkova, who promised to provide additional materials, did not attend a meeting of the committee. The committee will consider the cases against United Russia deputies Vladimir Pligin and Gadzhimet Safaraliyev at its next meeting. The United Russia faction produced “the evidence” that they are not involved in the management of any companies, and most members of the committee were satisfied with these explanations. Only the Communist faction was indignant that they were not permitted to study the documents.
Seven members of the committee for the control over the incomes of the deputies voted for an additional check regarding candidate for governor in the Bryansk Region from the Communist faction Vadim Potomsky, the Izvestia daily noted. The Communist deputy explained to the committee that the accusations that he was participating in the management of several companies, being the deputy of the State Duma, are groundless. “I am ready to produce the documents, income and property declarations. I can say that I quitted the management of all companies, in which I was involved, in 2007, when I was elected deputy of the Legislative Assembly in the Leningrad Region,” Potomsky stated.
The United Russia deputies, who are members of the committee, have some questions over the fact that the wife of the Communist deputy has 80% of stock in the company, which extracts the natural resources. Meanwhile, according to the income declarations of Potomsky’s family, his wife does not get any profit.