MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - Moscow's Meshchansky District Court has arrested former Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov, who is charged with large-scale fraud.
"The court ruling granted the investigator's motion to hand down a restraining measure in the form of remand in custody against Alexei Borisovich Smirnov for two months," the court's press service said.
The court declined the motion filed by Smirnov and his lawyer to order a milder restraining measure against the former governor not involving remand in custody.
Earlier, a source with law enforcement agencies told Interfax that Smirnov was detained as part of the investigation of a fraud case against top officials of the Kursk Region Development Corporation.
Russian Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said that Smirnov was detained and charged with fraud amounting to 1 billion rubles while constructing fortifications on the region's border with Ukraine.
Former deputies to the Kursk region governor, Alexei Smirnov and Alexei Dedov were also charged as part of the case.
Three top managers of the Kursk Region Development Corporation and managers of commercial organizations that received budget funds but failed to perform the required construction work were arrested previously.
Law enforcement agencies have determined tentatively that Smirnov and Dedov "were in control of an organized group and organized the embezzlement of budget funds together with the Kursk Region Development Corporation's management."
Smirnov was appointed Kursk region acting governor in May 2024 and governor in September 2024.
Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on December 5, 2024 that Smirnov stepped down from his post ahead of time. Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed State Duma Information Policy Committee head Alexander Khinshtein as Kursk region acting governor.