UPDATE: President violated no laws by firing Ulyukayev – Putin’s spox

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MOSCOW, Nov 17 (PRIME) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has violated no laws by his decree to dismiss Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, but the government has not chosen a replacement for the minister, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

“There have been no violations. The law stipulates that the appointment and dismissal is done by the head of the state, which is what happened in this case,” Peskov said, adding that the Kremlin has not yet defined a candidate to replace Ulyukayev.

Ulyukayev has been put under house arrest and the Investigative Committee launched a criminal case against him on charges of extorting and receiving a U.S. $2 million bribe for granting the ministry’s approval that allowed oil major Rosneft to buy the state’s 50.08% stake in Bashneft.

But some media reported that the presidential decree violated the legislation as it lacked a request from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to dismiss his subordinate.

Peskov also denied media accusations that the minister’s detainment was “an attack”.

“You know that mister Ulyukayev is charged with receiving a bribe, or with corruption. I will reiterate that only a court can find him guilty, and these actions are done in the framework of a policy of direct fight with corruption,” he said.

“It is also unlikely that the detainment of mister Ulyukayev may in any way be associated with changes in the economic policy. Moreover, issues of strategic development of the country lie within the competence of the head of the state in one way or another.”

A representative of First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told PRIME that the minister has chaired a working meeting with deputy ministers and department heads of the Economic Development Ministry, discussed their current activities, called on them to show good results until May 2018 and said that the ministry will not be left without a minister for long.

Medvedev has appointed Deputy Economic Development Minister Yevgeny Yelin as acting economic development minister.

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