VICTIME D’AMUR

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The governor of the Amur area Leonid Korotkov was discharged from his post. Vladimir Putin dismissed the governor due to a loss of ‘presidential confidence’. The vice-governor Alexander Nesterenko was appointed as acting governor of the region.

Now the president is to introduce a new candidacy for the governor’s post for approval in the Regional Executive Council in 2 weeks’ time.

On May 2 Leonid Korotkov has been accused of abuse of power, exceeding his authority and in negligence; that supposes a large fine and deprivation of liberty for a term to seven years. Now the ex-governor has given the written pledge not to leave a place.

The prosecutor claims that Korotkov has bought from the “Torgfinance” ltd. two Toyotas Land Cruiser for 40 mln rubles, that is much higher than a market average price. Moreover, the governor financed the regional football club “Amur” and took money for that not only from the treasury but also from common citizens, who had to pay for public utilities for overpriced raced. Leonid Korotkov is supposed to spend 41 mln rubles on the club.

The governor was impeached for misuse of state money. It is claimed that he has embezzled 22,3 mln rubles from the reserve fund of the Amur region. Moreover, he is accused on having spent 16 mln rubles from the budget to disburse a credit of the “Dambuki mines ltd”, but 53,3% of shares of the company has not gone into property of the region. The prosecutor considers that on the whole Korotkov has peculated 123 mln rubles from the budget of the region.

Korotkov’s lawyers sent an appeal in the Office of Public Prosecutor. They claim that articles were announced after 10 PM that is a procedure violation. Moreover, they affirm that all the decisions were made not by the governor himself but by the government of the region, i.e. there is body of the crime in Korotkov’s actions.

In May deputies of the Amur Regional Council tried to defence Korotkov. They sent Putin an appeal, asking the president to “use the political authority to interrupt the campaign, launched by mass-media and aimed at slandering the executive power of the Amur region.” But these letters had no effect.

Having learned about Putin’s decision Korotkov came out with farewell speech. He said that the mass-media campaign had yielded a demanded result and expressed regrets that the president had not met with him and listened to his point of view.

Korotkov became the second governor having discharged due to the loss of presidential confidence. The first one is the former head of the Nenets Autonomous Area Alexey Barinov who has been dismissed in July 2006. Moreover Barinov became the first governor who has been arrested and accused in cheating and embezzlement as being the head of the “Arkhangelskgeodobycha” company in the 90s.

Some considered Barinov’s arrest to be caused by his refuse to influence on the local parliamentarian’s decision concerning Alexander Sabadash, a senator accused of exercising commerce. Barinov himself claimed that he had been arrested by request of some “commercial organizations” who had their own interests in Timano-Pechersk oil and gas industry.

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