The governor of the Khabarovsk region, in the Russian Far East, placed in pretrial detention after his arrest and the indictment for murders, Friday declared his innocence in a case that his party calls " Stalinist ".
Read also: In the name of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia assassinated in Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks
Sergei Fourgal, 50, arrested Thursday near his home and placed in pre-trial detention until September, " categorically and completely rejects the accusations, " said his lawyer Boris Kojemiakine, quoted by the TASS news agency.
According to the Investigation Committee, responsible for the main criminal cases in Russia, he is suspected of being " the organizer of attempted murders and murders of a number of entrepreneurs " in 2004-2005, in the region of Khabarovsk and the one next to Love. Four other suspects had been arrested earlier for their participation in this " criminal group, " added the investigation committee, which said it had received " operational support " from the Russian security services (FSB).
Elected to general surprise in 2018
Sergei Fourgal was elected to everyone's surprise in 2018, under the label of the nationalist LDPR party, governor of the Khabarovsk region with 70% of the votes, ousting the candidate from United Russia, the Kremlin party. The following year, his party won the municipal elections in the city of Khabarovsk.
Read also: Putin wins a prepaid electoral bet
His party, the LDPR, is sometimes critical in certain areas towards power in Russia, but generally supports President Vladimir Putin and in particular the recent constitutional revisions allowing him to strengthen his power. After this arrest, much publicized, the LDPR threatened to leave the Parliament and to resign the other governors elected under his label in several regions.
Its leader, Vladimir Jirinovski, described the affair as " political " and compared it to the Stalinist repressions against the Soviet elite. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the comparison was " incorrect " on Friday . More than 30,000 people signed an online petition on Thursday in support of Sergei Fourgal.
