Former Chairman of the Rostov Regional Court Elena Zolotareva and her former deputy Tatyana Yurova were arrested for two months under the article on bribery, reports TASS. Both of them will be in custody until 17 September.
Vedomosti.Ru, 07/18/2023, “The ex-head of the Rostov Regional Court was arrested in the case of taking bribes”: The court clarified that the defendants and their defense petitioned for house arrest or other measure of restraint not related to the restriction of freedom, but they were denied. The news about the arrest was removed from the court’s Telegram channel about an hour after the publication, but later the fact of the arrest was confirmed by TASS, citing law enforcement agencies. […]
Earlier it was reported that, according to investigators, they may be involved in taking bribes. In 2022, Yurova allegedly offered the ex-head of the regional court for 10 million rubles. ensure that the right decision is made in a criminal case. At the same time, they could receive two more bribes of 2 million rubles. and two more in 1 million rubles. for the adoption of the necessary acts in the appeal. — Inset K.ru
Both judges are defendants in a criminal case that has affected dozens of Rostov judges and officials. Zolotareva and Yurova are suspected of participating in a corruption scheme for issuing “necessary” sentences, writes 161.ru. In early April, they were placed under house arrest, after which searches passed in many courts of the city and region.
The first searches at Zolotareva were held on April 3. “Searchs at Zolotareva also gave a big jackpot. Banknotes in denominations of the three countries were taken out in four packages, ”a 161.ru source in law enforcement agencies noted. She resigned the next day. According to a 161.ru source, a criminal case pushed her to this decision. According to Kommersant, Zolotareva, who has held her post since 2015, has submitted her resignation of her own free will. Her powers ended on April 7, but she retained the title of judge, benefits, guarantees of personal immunity and belonging to the judicial community. “This is an honorable resignation, it is not deprived of status,” the source said.
“Kommersant”, 07/19/2023, “From the hospital to the dungeon”: According to some reports, Ms. Zolotareva was taken from the hospital for investigative and judicial actions, where she was diagnosed with drug poisoning. It is assumed that the former judge was not mistaken in the number of drugs taken, namely, she tried to commit suicide. Whatever it was, but the doctors allowed not only to escort Mrs. Zolotareva to the capital, but also agreed to her interrogation and subsequent arrest. During the interrogation, which was conducted by investigators of the main investigation department of the TFR, Elena Zolotareva and Tatyana Yurova denied their involvement in bribery.
The ex-judge Zolotareva explained the 128 million rubles, €27,000 seized from her during the search, as well as numerous watches and jewelry, as personal savings, as well as gifts for various holidays not only to her, but also to other family members. The Basmanny Court, which considered the petitions of the investigation for the arrests of Ms. Zolotareva and Yurova, rejected the counter proposals for alternative measures of restraint. The women will be in custody until September 17, but during this time the Main Investigative Directorate of the ICR will obviously not have time to complete the investigation of their case, so the arrests will be extended and, apparently, more than once. […]
In addition to the ex-heads of the judicial system of the region, a dozen more judges are under suspicion of committing corruption crimes and making decisions for bribes. While they appear as unidentified persons. However, a Kommersant source close to the investigation noted that many of them had already been searched, formalized as urgent investigative actions, which made it possible to do without court decisions. After that, the servants of Themis began to cooperate, talking about how and under what circumstances they received rewards and shared with the leadership of the court. Which of them will become the accused, and which – the witness, is now decided in the TFR and the Prosecutor General’s Office supervising him. — Inset K.ru
The head of the department of the judicial department of the Rostov region was the first to be taken into custody in the framework of this case in April Andrey Roshevsky, he is charged with mediation in especially large-scale bribery (part 4 of article 291.1 of the Criminal Code). He faces up to 12 years in prison.
In May, the High Qualifications Board of Judges (VKKS) of Russia allowed a criminal case to be initiated against Zolotareva and Yurova. “Kommersant” writesthat Zolotareva is suspected of seven episodes of bribery: four under Part 6 of Art. 290 (taking a bribe on an especially large scale) and three under Part 5 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code (on a large scale, with extortion or a group of persons by prior agreement). Yurova is charged with Part 4 of Art. 291.1 of the Criminal Code and four episodes of bribes (parts 5, 6 of article 290 of the Criminal Code). The maximum term for these parts is from 12 to 15 years in prison.
The source of the publication reported that for remuneration, the judges changed the preventive measures to non-custodial ones, handed down lenient sentences and the necessary decisions in civil cases.
the 14 th of July VKKS deprived Zolotarev immunity, ending her resignation. According to 161.ru, the same day the judge tried to commit suicide. She was hospitalized with severe drug poisoning.
However, on the morning of July 17, Zolotarev was urgently discharged from the hospital and sent for interrogation to Moscow, like Yurova. Source 161.ru toldthat the case against Zolotareva was separated into a separate proceeding, Yurova is being treated as a suspect. She is also a “witness to another [делу] as part of the investigation into the “case of the judges”.
bk55.ru, 07/19/2023, “Case of Judges”: ex-chairman of the Rostov Regional Court Zolotoreva and her deputy arrested in Moscow”: 64-year-old Elena Zolotareva worked for many years in the Rostov judicial system, and since 2015 she has been appointed chairman of the regional court. Since 1995 – Member of the Presidium of the Rostov Regional Court, since 2012 – Member of the Council of Judges of the Russian Federation. […]
Now the FSB is checking several lawyers who collaborated with the regional court, who previously served together with Roschevsky in the prosecutor’s office. Who will replace the detained judges in their positions is not yet known. Sources of the Rostov media in law enforcement agencies speak of a suspicious attitude towards local, even honored, employees of the judiciary on the part of the federal authorities. Although the shadow of the “court case” is cast, as it seems to us, on the entire third branch of power in the country. — Inset K.ru