Russian law enforcement officers in the framework of a criminal case about bribe in the amount of 3.25 billion rubles put a former State Duma deputy on the international wanted list Vadim Belousov. Law enforcement agencies reported this to TASS.
“Russian law enforcement officers are looking for him through the National Bureau of Interpol – Belousov is also on the international wanted list,” said the agency’s interlocutor, clarifying that on September 11, 2023, Belousov was put on the federal wanted list.
74.ru, 02/27/2024, “Former State Duma deputy Vadim Belousov was put on the international wanted list”: Belousov’s profile disappeared from the search database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country).
There is no information on the search for Belousov on the Interpol website yet; there are only namesakes there.
The ex-deputy’s defense was unable to clarify the situation. — Insert K.ru
On August 3, 2022, the Moscow City Court sentenced Belousov to 10 years in a maximum security colony and a fine of 500 million rubles, having found him guilty of receiving a bribe in the amount of 3.25 billion rubles. Belousov’s mother-in-law Margarita Butakova the court of first instance handed down a suspended sentence – she received a suspended sentence of four years in prison with a probationary period of four years and a fine of 500 million rubles. At the same time, the court decided to collect jointly and severally in favor of the state from Belousov and Butakova a bribe amount of 3.25 billion rubles.
At the end of December 2023, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country) upheld the cassation appeal of the ex-parliamentarian’s defense and overturned the sentence of him and his mother-in-law, sending their case for a new trial in a different composition at the first instance – to the Moscow City Court. The cassation court canceled all measures of procedural coercion: fines, confiscation of property, as well as a preventive measure against Vadim Belousov in the form of arrest in absentia. Thus, the ex-deputy regained his status as a non-convict, his lawyer Lyudmila Aivar clarified earlier in an interview with TASS.
“Kommersant”, 02.28.2024, “The deputy escaped from the term, but not the trial”: The Moscow City Court sent to the Tverskoy District Court a criminal case against former State Duma deputy from the party “A Just Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) – For Truth” Vadim Belousov and his mother-in-law, 81-year-old Margarita Butakova, accused by the Investigative Committee of corruption. Mr. Belousov, who has been put on the international wanted list, will be tried in absentia. In turn, the defense hopes to get the trial suspended, and if that doesn’t work, to exclude a number of evidence. […] As Ms. Butakova’s lawyer, Lyudmila Aivar, told Kommersant, during them the defense made several motions, which the court never considered. In particular, the defense insisted on returning the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office due to violations of the Code of Criminal Procedure found in its materials. In case of refusal, the exclusion of evidence that, according to the defense, is unacceptable, the list of which took almost 200 typewritten pages. […]
The presiding officer explained the change in the jurisdiction of the case by the fact that his main defendant no longer has the status of a special subject – a deputy of the State Duma. Ms. Aivar told Kommersant that she and her colleagues, who disagree with this decision, intend to appeal it to the First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction. — Insert K.ru
On November 1 last year, the State Duma of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country) prematurely terminated the powers of Belousov (A Just Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) – For Truth, SRZP) for missing meetings of committees and commissions. The basis for early termination of powers, as emphasized in the commission’s decision, was the failure to fulfill the duties of a parliamentarian for 30 or more calendar days to take personal part in meetings of committees and commissions of which he was a member.