All news

Kirov region governor accused of bribe-taking to file complaint with ECHR

The Moscow City Court earlier rejected an appeal to release the governor accused of taking a bribe of 400,000 euros.

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Kirov Region Governor Nikita Belykh accused of bribe-taking intends to file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) about his unfounded arrest and criminal prosecution, Belykh’s lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said on Wednesday.

"We’ll use all the means of defense, including an appeal to the ECHR," Prokhorov said, adding that his defendant would file a complaint both about his criminal prosecution and his unfounded arrest.

Also, Belykh’s right to defense is being violated, which contradicts the norms of the Convention as well, the lawyer said.

The Moscow City Court rejected an appeal on Wednesday to release Kirov Region Governor Belykh accused of taking a bribe of 400,000 euros.

"It has been resolved to leave unchanged a resolution of Moscow’s Basmanny Court on choosing arrest for Belykh as a measure of restraint until August 24 and reject an appeals petition by the counsel for the defense," a judge read out the ruling.

Therefore, the court has found no grounds for releasing the Kirov Region head either on bail or against the guarantees of some political and public figures.

Judge Natalia Borisova announced only the introductory and the resolutive parts of the court’s ruling. Its full text will be handed over to the parties concerned on July 7.

Belykh was detained in a Moscow restaurant on June 24 while taking a bribe. The investigators say that Belykh had received personally and through a mediator a total of 400,000 euros. In exchange, he promised patronage to two local businesses - a ski factory and a forest management company.

The Investigative Committee formally charged Belykh with a large bribe under part 6 of article 290 of the Russian Criminal Code. On June 25, Moscow’s Basmanny Court arrested Belykh for two months.

The Kirov Region head insists he is not guilty and intends to prove this in the course of the investigation or the court hearings.

As a criminal case has been opened against Belykh and he has been arrested, about 20 non-parliamentary parties of the Kirov Region have supported the initiative of the local branch of Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF) to bring a no-confidence vote in the governor. The leaders of the partiers have sent a letter to the federal center, requesting the authorities to dismiss the governor.