vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #596 / Crime watch / Reading article...

Vladivostok’s Leninsky court on Wednesday announced that the city’s Mayor Vladimir Nikolayev, who is facing trial on charges of abuse of office, will remain in custody for the duration of the trial to prevent him from escaping prosecution or pressuring witnesses.

Nikolayev, who was dismissed from his position in February and put under arrest in early March, is to stay in custody during the trial, which may last up to six months, the court ruled after a hearing on Wednesday. The court stated that Nikolayev could go into hiding or interfere with the investigation process if released.

"In case the trial lasts more than half a year, the isolation of Nikolayev will be prolonged for another three months. In case the trial takes less than six months, the sentence will be announced and the custody period will be finished,” Olga Korovina, Nikolayev’s attorney, told reporters. The defense plans to appeal the decision to keep Nikolayev in custody for the whole period of the trial.



Nikolayev, who has been kept in an isolation ward and denies all allegations, is accused of misspending the city budget funds for personal security guards and private air flights. The Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating the mayor for allegedly granting land to unknown individuals for private purposes.

The next hearing of Nikolayev’s case is scheduled for December 7.

The charges against Nikolayev, who was elected for the position in July 2004, are being investigated by Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office.