Alexander Makarov, 60, one of the latest targets in a series of corruption probes, was initially suspected, together with a relative, of extorting $114,000 from local residents by threatening to destroy their real estate and prevent them from rebuilding.
"Prosecutors have accused Makarov of bribe-taking, illegal involvement in business and two reestablished instances of power abuse," the prosecutor's office in Tomsk, West Siberia, said.
The criminal case was launched December 6, 2006, and two days later Makarov was placed in custody for two months, a decision that was extended until May 6, 2007 in early February. On December 11, 2006, the court suspended Makarov from office, and the next day prosecutors charged him with abuse of power and complicity in extortion. Later in December, another two criminal cases were launched against Makarov, on illegal business and the possession of a large batch of drugs. On January 25, 2007, Makarov was accused on the first indictment.
The new investigation is ongoing, with Makarov's lawyers studying the new charges. "The accusation is insufficient, and the lawyers are not ready to say anything now," a spokesperson for Makarov said.
Makarov was briefly hospitalized last December after suffering an apparent heart attack when prosecutors first opened an investigation against him.
