Ex-head Mari El Markelov was detained in the case of bribery

The ex-head of Mari El Leonid Markelov, ahead of schedule a week ago, was detained by the Investigative Committee in the case of bribery. This was reported by TASS with reference to the lawyer Igor Trunov, who defends another person involved in the case - businessman Nikolai Krivash.

As Interfax clarifies , Markelov was detained in Mari El. The bribe taker is considered Krivash, and the intermediary is the director of the Mari television channel "Region 12" Natalia Kozhanova.

It was reported that searches in the case are held in Moscow - in the apartment of the daughter of Markelov and the house of his wife - as well as in Mari El.

From the later publication of the Investigative Committee that appeared later, it follows that Markelov was charged with part 6 of Article 290 (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale; from 8 to 15 years of colony), Krivash - part 5 of article 291 (giving bribes on an especially large amount; the same deadlines), and Kozhanova - part 4 of Article 291.1 of the Criminal Code (intermediation in bribery in an especially large scale; from 7 to 12 years). According to the plot of the case, Markelov through Kozhanov received from Krivash, at that time the owner of the Akashevskaya poultry farm, more than 235 million rubles for assistance in obtaining state support.

The investigation is conducted by the Office for the Investigation of Particularly important cases of the central headquarters of the Investigative Committee. The detention of the defendants was carried out with the operational support of the FSB.

Markelov headed Mari El since 2001. In 2005, the European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it was declared discrimination against the Mari in the region. In September 2015, a video appeared on the Internet on which Markelov, speaking to the residents of the village of Shimshurg, threatened to dig the road if they did not vote for United Russia. Later, the official said he joked.

The Decree on the resignation of Markelov Vladimir Putin issued on April 6 . It was claimed that the official leaves the post of his own free will. I.O. The head of the region, until the September direct elections, was appointed chairman of the Arbitration Court of the Moscow Region, the former Presidential Office in the Volga Federal District, Alexander Evstifeev.

The media wrote that Markelov could become a member of the Council of Council of Mari El.