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Parliament's upper chamber dismisses fifth member in month

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MOSCOW, June 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's upper chamber of parliament dismissed its fifth member Friday in just under a month as it terminated the powers of a member from a Caspian Sea region embroiled in a bribery scandal.

Levon Chakhmakhchyan, deputy head of the Federation Council's committee for self-government, was detained after a sting operation in which $300,000 were allegedly being handed over. No criminal action has yet been taken against the senator because until today he enjoyed parliamentary immunity.

Chakhmakhchyan himself has called the operation a provocation.

Although several MPs questioned the legality of actions against the senator and asked for a special investigation into the matter, 136 senators voted for Chakhmakhchyan's dismissal.

Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov, who has launched his own effort to weed out "corrupt elements" in the Russian parliament, said during the parliament's session, "We have the decision of the local parliament in Kalmykia to recall the senator and that is all we need [to make our own decision]."

The Supreme Court has postponed hearings on Chakhmakhchyan's case until June 30.

On May 12, Speaker Mironov submitted petitions to local legislatures in the Khakass Republic, the Primorye Territory, the Yamal-Nenets and the Nenets Autonomous Areas to recall their respective representatives from the upper chamber.

The speaker dismissed suggestions that the move was part of anti-corruption campaign, saying that senators Igor Ivanov, Boris Gutin, Arkady Sarkisyan and Alexander Sabadash had breached parliamentary discipline and conducted business activities outside their legislative duties.

Following an anti-corruption call made by President Vladimir Putin in May, a number of senior officials in the customs and security services were sacked from their posts.

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