Gentlemen invitation

Former Executive Director of the Corruption Fund Vladimir Ashurkov received political asylum in the UK. This was reported by Vedomosti with reference to the emigrant itself.

Ashurkov explained that he turned for asylum back in July 2014, and at the end of this month, the British Ministry of Internal Affairs resolved the issue in its favor. The department, the former FBK functionary said, considered that he was facing unreasonable persecution for political reasons.

Now, Ashurkov concluded, his civil wife Alexandrina Markvo, who was put on an international wanted list on charges of fraud, also turned to the British authorities with a request for refuge for the British authorities. She is a defendant in the case of financing the opposition from the budget funds.

Ashurkov himself, together with a colleague in the party of progress Nikolai Lyaskin and the party functionar on December 5, Konstantin Yankauskas, is accused of financing the campaign of Alexei Navalny in the elections of the Moscow Mayor in the summer of 2013. According to the investigation, Ashurkov, Lyaskin and Yankauskas transferred 1 million rubles to the expense of Navalny. Then they turned to the Internet users with a request to transfer money to their electronic wallets to reimburse the Navalny funds transferred to the account, as well as support his political activity. More than 10 million rubles accumulated in the accounts were, according to the TFR, they were assigned to the suspects.

On May 23, 2014, Ashurkov, Lyaskin and Yankauskas were searches . Lyaskin and Yankauskas after searches were taken for interrogation. Subsequently, both charged. The first is under the subscription about the lower room, the second is under house arrest.

Ashurkov, unlike colleagues, managed to avoid meeting with law enforcement officers and hide. Later it became known that he is in the UK.

On February 16, 2015, the media have already reported to the receipt of Ashurkov asylum , but later on the same day he himself denied this information .