ST. PETERSBURG, June 2 (RIA Novosti) -Arkhangelsk Regional Court remanded the suspended governor of the Nenets Autonomous Area in custody, a source said Friday.
Alexei Barinov was arrested May 23 as part of a fraud investigation, and President Vladimir Putin earlier Friday suspended him from his post as regional governor.
Prosecutors are currently investigating Barinov, who left his post as head of LUKoil subsidiary ArkhangelskGeologDobycha in 2003 after several years in charge, his deputy, Sergei Goryayev, and accountant Sergei Gavrilov.
The three men are suspected of using their posts to purchase several apartments illegally via the company, and engaging in other fraudulent activities to the tune of 19 million rubles ($700,000).
Valery Potapenko, chief federal inspector for the Nenets Autonomous Area in the north of Russia, has been appointed as acting regional governor.
