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Vladivostok Mayor Vladimir Nikolayev, who was dismissed from his position on February 28, was detained in Moscow on Tuesday, national news reports said citing sources from the federal law enforcement bodies.

However, as of Wednesday, Russia’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Inner Affairs have released no official comments on the detainment, the reports said.

The criminal case against Nikolayev was launched two weeks ago by Primorye’s prosecutor’s office on the grounds of abusing his office, with the mayor facing charges of embezzlement. The Leninsky court of Vladivostok dismissed the mayor from office on February 28, saying ‘Nikolayev should not be able to influence the subordinates during the investigation.’

According to Nikolayev’s lawyer Olga Korovina, he did not hide his intention to go to Moscow, and any detainment may be legally performed only in the case that a suspected person attempts to evade investigation. Korovina said that Nikolayev did not contact her after he had departed for Moscow, Vostok Media news agency cited her as saying.


From Interfax and Vostok Media