A Basmanny court on Friday arrested Khabarovsk Territory Governor Sergei Furgal on charges of organizing murders of businessmen in the 2000s.

“The request of the investigator to satisfy, to select a preventive measure in the form of detention until September 9,” ​​- quotes the words of Judge Arthur Karpov RIA Novosti. Later it became known that the governor of the Khabarovsk Territory was taken to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center.

The consideration of the application for the arrest of Furgal was held behind closed doors in accordance with the request of the investigation granted by the court.

It follows from the decision that Furgal, being the governor, has contacts with senior security officials, which he can use to threaten witnesses or hide from the investigation, RIA Novosti reports.

  • Moscow Basmanny Court arrests governor of Khabarovsk Territory Sergei Furgal for two months

Furgal’s defense indicated that the statute of limitations for prosecuting murders was a maximum of 15 years, and the crimes he was charged with were committed in 2004-2005.

In addition, lawyers insisted that his client was not involved in the offenses of which he was charged.

“By education, a doctor, has a fairly long practice - a general practitioner, a neurologist. Given the Hippocratic oath, the doctor’s activities are incompatible with the unlawful deprivation of life, ”emphasized Furgal’s lawyer Boris Kozhemyakin.

Lawyers representing the governor's interests also said they intend to appeal the arrest. Lawyers indicated that they were not considering the political version of the case.

“This is not our situation. We consider this a criminal case, ”said Kozhemyakin.

Kremlin arrest and reaction

Recall that the head of the Khabarovsk Territory Sergei Furgal was detained on the morning of July 9 near his home and put on a plane to Moscow. According to the investigation, Furgal was involved in organizing murders and attempted murders of entrepreneurs. Crimes were committed by an organized criminal group in 2004-2005 in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Amur Region.

The official representative of the Investigative Committee of Russia Svetlana Petrenko said that Furgal was interrogated as an accused.

“The Chief Directorate for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Committee of Russia has been charged with the governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Sergei Furgal. He is charged with committing crimes under Part 3 of Art. 30, part 3, article 33 and paragraphs “B”, “g”, “h” part 2 of article 105; h. 3 tbsp. 33, p. “A”, “b”, “g”, “h” part 2 of article 105 of the Criminal Code (attempted murder, organization of murders), ”said Petrenko.

The IC also reminded that in April 2019, criminal cases of attempted murder and murder of entrepreneurs in the Far East were transferred to the investigator of the Main Directorate for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the UK on behalf of Alexander Bastrykin. During the preliminary investigation, the perpetrators of a number of crimes and one of the organizers were identified.

“Thanks to the correct investigative tactics, the accomplices testified against Sergey Furgal as the organizer of all these crimes. Including there are testimonies of witnesses and victims. The information obtained was verified as part of the investigative actions, as a result of which sufficient evidence was collected to detain the governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, ”the SC explained.

In the process of considering the Furgal case in court, investigators said that participants in the process in the governor's case received threats and were under state protection.

It is noted that in addition to Furgal last year in this multi-episode case detained and arrested four "active members of an organized group who were charged with depending on the role of each person in committing crimes."

The UK separately emphasized that, as part of the decriminalization of the situation in the Far East, the law enforcement agencies are checking Sergei Furgal for involvement in other particularly serious crimes committed in the region.

Furgal himself on Thursday evening said he did not admit guilt.

“Of course, I do not admit guilt, what can I talk about ?! If I say that I am outraged and shocked (happening. - RT ), it means not to say anything, ”the governor of the Khabarovsk Territory said to members of the PMC of Moscow on July 9.

Shortly after the arrest of Furgal in the Kremlin, they answered the question about the likelihood of the head of the region being removed from work. As explained by the presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, no decisions were made on this subject at that time.

“If and when the president makes such a decision (Furgal’s dismissal. - RT ), and he can make such a decision on the basis of the materials that will be presented to him by the investigation, we will inform you about this,” Peskov said.

Along with this, the CEC announced that in the event Furgal resigned, it would not be possible to hold new elections in the Khabarovsk Territory on a single voting day on September 13 because of the proximity of this date.