Suspect in Organizing Senator's Murder Detained Leaving Federation Council Session

Federation Council member Dmitry Savelyev was detained on suspicion of involvement in organizing a murder, RIA Novosti reported , citing law enforcement agencies.

According to the agency, before the arrest, the Federation Council lifted Savelyev's immunity. This decision was made at the request of Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov. Senator Andrei Klishas said that the prosecutor's office presented the Federation Council with copies of the materials of the criminal case against Savelyev. According to him, they are sufficient grounds for depriving the senator of immunity. However, he did not disclose the details of the case.

Savelyev himself, as RBC writes, called the case against him "fabricated" and the prosecution "unfounded." "To which Valentina Ivanovna [Matvienko] said that we are not making a decision on conviction. The court makes the decision, so Dmitry Vladimirovich will have the opportunity to challenge it with the help of lawyers and present counterarguments," Senator Vyacheslav Timchenko said in an interview with the publication.

The Mash Telegram channel, citing its sources , writes that Savelyev was allegedly detained in connection with a murder case in the 90s, when he headed Transneft. In turn, Channel 112, citing an unnamed source, claims that this is about organizing the murder of Savelyev's business partner. In the summer of 2023, he allegedly "decided to deal with a certain Ionov, with whom he managed one of the organizations." At the same time, the channel writes that a killer hired by Savelyev reported the impending murder to the FSB.

Later, the Investigative Committee reported that in August 2023, Savelyev, "guided by personal hostility towards the businessman," ordered his acquaintance to "organize his murder." "After receiving information about the murder of the businessman, Savelyev transferred a reward to his accomplice for committing the crime," the Investigative Committee said in a statement. It also noted that a criminal case was opened under the article "organization of preparations for murder."

In June, Savelyev became the subject of an investigation by Important Stories into a scheme to steal money from the Russian budget. Journalists found out that from May 2012 to the end of January 2013, almost eight million dollars (247 million rubles at the average annual exchange rate) arrived in the account of Savelyev and his wife Olga's offshore company in the Swiss bank EFG. The basis for the transactions were stated as "loan agreements" and "equipment supplies."

Savelyev became a member of the Federation Council from United Russia in 2016, his powers expire in September. Before that, he was a deputy of the sixth convocation of the State Duma, and also ran for governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. It is noted that Savelyev was in the top twenty of the richest Russian senators for a long time.

Updated at 15:59, added SC comment.

To get the main news faster, subscribe to our telegram and twitter .