The former deputy governor of Russia’s Sverdlovsk region has been apprehended amid a large-scale corruption investigation involving local utility firms, as reported by Interfax on Monday through his attorney.
Oleg Chemezov was taken into custody on accusations of fraud and is anticipated to face formal charges in Yekaterinburg on Tuesday, as stated by his lawyer Maria Kirillova.
According to reports, Chemezov is one of 14 individuals and 80 companies named in a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office, which aims to confiscate businesses linked to associates Alexei Bobrov and Artyom Bikov. He is alleged to have granted approval for inflated utility rates in exchange for personal benefits to family members.
Chemezov has denied these charges.
Denis Pasler, the governor of the Sverdlovsk region, terminated Chemezov’s position, where he had overseen political affairs since December 2021, last Thursday.
Local reports suggest that the fraud allegations partly derive from statements made by Nikolai Smirnov, a former regional housing minister, who claimed he acted under the direction of Chemezov and others, according to various media accounts confirmed by a source to the business newspaper RBC.
Chemezov’s ex-wife, Irina Chemezova, is currently under house arrest until November 1 in connection with a fraud case, but it remains unclear if this is linked to Chemezov’s situation or represents a separate investigation.
In another development, the notable case against entrepreneurs Bobrov and Bikov began in Yekaterinburg on Monday.
Prosecutors have accused them of monopolizing the generation and supply of electricity, as well as managing household waste processing throughout the Urals.
Both Bobrov and Bikov, who are believed to have Austrian citizenship, allegedly transferred at least 12 billion rubles (approximately $143.5 million) abroad via affiliated companies.
While Bobrov and Bikov reject the accusations, their firm, Corporation STS, has termed the claims as baseless.
Last week, Russian authorities arrested Bobrov and several senior officials from Corporation STS and its subsidiaries. Bikov, who has been linked to exiled former Putin aide Anatoly Chubais, is reportedly still at large.
