UPDATE: Putin dismisses head of Udmurtia due to loss of confidence

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MOSCOW, Apr 4 (PRIME) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to dismiss Alexander Solovyov from his post of the head of the republic of Udmurtia due to loss of confidence, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko told reporters that Russian law enforcement authorities detained Solovyov on suspicion of 140 million ruble bribes.

“A criminal case has been initiated against Head of the Udmurtia republic Alexander Solovyov in connection with two grave offences… (acceptance of a large bribe by a person occupying a state post in the Russian Federation). The facts of criminal actions have been detected by the Investigative Committee together with the field service of the Federal Security Service,” Petrenko said.

According to the information of investigators, Solovyov took 139 million rubles in cash and a 2.7 million ruble stake in a commercial organization in 2014–2016 from representatives of organizations building bridges across the Kama and Buy rivers. In exchange for that, Solovyov was to provide immediate payments for works from the federal and regional budgets and to give licenses for geological surveys, and sand and gravel development.

Solovyov became the head of Udmurtia in 2014.

(56.1396 rubles – U.S. $1)

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