VOLGOGRAD, June 5 (RIA Novosti) - The mayor of Volgograd was charged with abuse of office and illegal business activities Monday, prosecutors in the Volga River city said.
In the latest of a string of corruption-related cases in the country, prosecutors said Yevgeny Ishchenko had embezzled funds from the Volgograd communal services, lobbied a commercial firm's interests and was involved in the illegal allocation of land plots.
"Acting in commercial or other personal interests through his agents, executives of an open stock company, Tamerlan, and in violation of the federal law On General Principles of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation, Ishchenko helped create this commercial entity and promoted its activities by granting it privileges," a representative of the local prosecutor's office said.
The spokesperson added that the mayor had also paid his administration members more than their fixed salaries in 2005-2006.
Ishchenko was arrested May 30 and the Central District Court remanded him in custody on June 3. Vladimir Bogomolov, a lawyer acting for the mayor, who insists his case is politically motivated, said the defense team had lodged an appeal against the court decision with a higher court.
Roland Kherianov, a deputy mayor who oversees legal matters in the city administration, has been appointed acting mayor.
The criminal case against the Volgograd mayor is the latest in a series of fraud and embezzlement probes against local officials.
The court earlier sanctioned the arrests of Dmitry Sinyukov, former board chairman of the Volgograd communal services, chief engineer Mikhail Gushchin, director Tatiana Baranenko, and a local bank officer.
Ishchenko's detention follows the arrest of the governor of the Nenets Autonomous Area and his deputy in late May.
