Residents of Rostov spoke out against the dismissal of the prosecutor-blogger

By order of the acting Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Buksman, the prosecutor of the Rostov region Valery Kuznetsov, known in the region for his tough position in relations with officials and for keeping his diary in LiveJournal, was fired.

The official explanation from the Prosecutor General’s Office states that the reason for the dismissal was “gross violations of the prosecutor’s oath, which resulted in violations of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.” In this regard, it is mentioned that the prosecutor, after the president’s order to check the activities of the water supply organization OJSC Don Water Company, “actually withdrew from organizing this work, entrusting it to his deputies.” Then the activities of this JSC were checked by a visiting group of the Prosecutor General’s Office itself and revealed a pattern of theft of funds from water supply organizations, including through criminal bankruptcy of enterprises and the transfer of money abroad.

Kuznetsov was removed from his post on February 6 in connection with the case of the same Don Water Company. At the same time, in Rostov-on-Don, an action was held in support of the suspended prosecutor, in which representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the prosecutor’s defenders from among the citizens, well-known bloggers and employees of the regional prosecutor’s offices of the Southern Federal District took part.

As soon as Kuznetsov returned to his duties on March 11, he immediately initiated an audit of the activities of the government of the Rostov region in the housing and communal services sector . Then he made several more high-profile decisions, including the resumption of the “illegally terminated” criminal case against the former mayor of Novocherkassk Anatoly Volkov, accused of abuse of office.

In the Rostov region they are convinced that the dismissal of the prosecutor is due to his indomitable character. Thus, independent Rostov journalist Victoria Makarenko in her blog calls Kuznetsov “local Cattani” and reports that a number of checks initiated by the prosecutor concerned “top Rostov officials.” And the Don Water Company case is used only as an excuse to eliminate an inconvenient prosecutor.

The head of the regional organization of defrauded shareholders, Natalya Misyuk, published a letter in her Live Journal in support of the prosecutor, which she and her like-minded people sent to President Medvedev. In the letter, she convinces the president that the decision to dismiss Kuznetsov is wrong and unfair, and the arguments about violating the prosecutor’s oath are unfounded and far-fetched. Social activists are confident that Valery Kuznetsov “enjoys well-deserved respect among ordinary citizens, and with the system of electing prosecutors, Kuznetsov would undoubtedly be elected by the residents of the Rostov region to his post.” Therefore, the authors of the letter ask the president to look into it and assist in restoring Kuznetsov to the post of prosecutor.

In a private conversation with Publicpost, the Rostov entrepreneur said that Kuznetsov immediately showed himself in the region as a progressive person, but surviving within the framework of his system. And this did not really please the local authorities, with whom there was no open conflict, but they never reached mutual understanding. “Of course, he can hardly be called Cattani, but, for example, I’ll tell you about myself: when there was a raid on my enterprise and I contacted the prosecutor’s office, I received professional support and the conflict was resolved in our favor, as it should have been according to the law. And I know a couple more such stories,” the source told PublicPost.

It is known that after a visit to the Prosecutor General’s Office last Friday, where Valery Kuznetsov was informed of his dismissal, he ended up in the intensive care unit of the Mytishchi hospital, from where he was supposed to be transferred to neurology. Now he does not communicate with journalists. Although last week he announced that he would go to work on Monday, March 19th.

The prosecutor's office of the Rostov region, where,according to rumors, the locks on the doors of the prosecutor's office were changed already on the day of the dismissal order, refused to comment on the situation, advising that all questions should be addressed to the Prosecutor General's Office.

This morning, single pickets were held in front of the regional prosecutor's office against the resignation of Valery Kuznetsov. Participants in three single pickets stood with posters about what they considered to be an unfair resignation. The action was not authorized, but the picketers were not detained.