Communist Party leadership recommends Shirshov to hand over the mandate

The leadership of the Communist Party recommends that the Communist Deputy Konstantin Shirshov voluntarily add up his powers. It was reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the first deputy chairman of the Central Committee of the party, the first vice-speaker of the State Duma Ivan Melnikov. The investigation accuses Shirshov of attempted fraud for selling a place in the federal list of candidates for deputies. The Prosecutor General’s office sent a corresponding request to the lower ward.

“The party’s leadership discussed this situation, we believe that in the current circumstances, taking into account the seriousness of the materials presented, Konstantin Shirshov needs to think that on his own initiative to add the powers of the State Duma deputy,” Melnikov said. “In our opinion, we need to create all the conditions for a complete and objective investigation.”

On January 25, the State Duma Committee on Regulations recommended depriving Shirshov's immunity. On February 11, the Council of the Duma will determine the date of consideration of the issue by the lower house of parliament. It is assumed that it will be submitted to the plenary meeting on February 12 or 13.

When discussing the issue of the opinion of the committee members, they were divided. Unicorns and liberal democrats considered that the evidence presented is enough to consider this issue by the chamber. The Communists and Socialist Revolutionaries said they have questions for the materials that the prosecutor’s office presented.

“I was so tired of waiting for me to finally ripen at least some kind of decision, so I'm really very happy,” Shirshov himself said then. Speaking at a meeting of the committee, Shirshov said that he would be innocent and would prove his innocence.

On December 26, the Investigative Committee sent a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office to deprive Shirshov's immunity Shirshov to bring them to criminal liability. According to investigators, Shirshov and his accomplices offered a certain entrepreneur to “buy” the mandate of the State Duma deputy. Having received part of the required amount from the businessman in July 2011 - 66 million rubles - they promised to include him in the federal list of candidates for deputies of the State Duma of the sixth convocation. As previously reported by RIA Novosti, two alleged accomplices of Shirshov were convicted of fraud, the third case is considered in court.

On January 23, the Prosecutor General’s Office turned to the State Duma with a request to deprive Konstantin Shirshov’s immunity. Three volumes of criminal case were transferred to the parliament.

At the end of December, it was reported that the Duma faction of the Communist Party was considering the possibility of a boycott of meetings in protest against the criminal prosecution of Shirshov. On behalf of Gennady Zyuganov, party lawyers prepared a plan of response actions. Among the proposed measures, in addition to the boycott of the meetings of the State Duma, is the picket of the presidential administration, as well as an appeal to the left faction in the European Parliament with a request to support Russian communists.

At the same time, the Prosecutor General’s Office came to the conclusion on the need to bring to the criminal liability of Socialist Revolutionaries Oleg Mikheev. He is suspected of three crimes. This is unlawful seizure of real estate objects, attempted theft by fraud and obstruction of justice. Mikheev himself declares his innocence. “In general, I can say about this story that there is no political background in it, this is an attempt to solve a commercial issue through politics,” Mikheev said. Mikheev was among the three Socialist -Revolutionaries who recalled their signatures under the parliamentary request to verify the legality of the deprivation of the mandate of Gennady Gudkov.