The Basmanny Court of Moscow on Friday, November 15, arrested the mayor of Astrakhan, Mikhail Stolyarov, who was detained on Wednesday on suspicion of receiving a bribe in the amount of 10 million rubles, RAPSI reports .

Earlier in court, a representative of the investigation stated the need to arrest Stolyarov due to his wide connections and significant financial resources, which could allow him to escape from justice or put pressure on witnesses. The official's lawyer asked the court to postpone the decision for 72 hours to collect information about Stolyarov's illnesses.

For his part, Stolyarov said that he was ready to work with the investigation, ITAR-TASS reports . “I’m not such a criminal as to run somewhere or apply pressure; I will work with the investigation on existing suspicions,” he said. “Your honor, whatever you decide, I will obey this decision,” the mayor said. However, he devoted most of his address to the judge to a description of diseases, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Mikhail Stolyarov, elected mayor of Astrakhan in March 2012, was detained to Moscow by helicopter that evening in a restaurant on Wednesday and flown . The Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR), which opened a criminal case against Stolyarov, stated that the official was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe. According to investigators, Stolyarov extorted 10 million rubles and a 25% share of the enterprise from a local entrepreneur for the allocation of a plot for the construction of a building. Initially, it was unofficially reported that the mayor was suspected of receiving a bribe in the amount of 200 million rubles, but the Investigative Committee did not confirm this information.

Mikhail Stolyarov, a member of the United Russia party, won the mayoral elections in Astrakhan in March 2012. His opponent in the elections, “Socialist Revolutionary” Oleg Shein, tried to challenge the election results in several courts and went on a hunger strike for 40 days.

Stolyarov continues to be mayor after his arrest. On Wednesday, the head of the administration of the governor of the Astrakhan region, Kanat Shantimirov, said that Stolyarov would soon appoint one of his four deputies as acting mayor. “Only he can sign the order who he will appoint as acting,” Shantimirov said.

The Basmanny court arrested the mayor of Astrakhan