MOSCOW, May 15 (RIA Novosti) - The prime minister of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan faces criminal charges over alleged illegal land acquisition deals, Russian business daily Vedomosti said on Friday.
The charges against Rail Sarbayev were launched on a request from the southwest Urals republic's representative in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament. A criminal case was launched on May 13.
Lawmaker Murat Kiyekbayev has told investigators that in 2007, when Sarbayev was serving as regional land minister, he was granted by a department subordinate to him the lease of a large plot of land near the regional capital, Ufa. He later bought the estate for just 33,000 rubles ($1,000 at the current rate), less than a hundredth of its market value of at least four million rubles ($125,000).
A group of State Duma lawmakers are currently preparing a request to Bashkir President Murtaza Rakhimov to suspend Sarbayev from office until the investigation is completed.
The newspaper quoted political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov as saying the case could be an attempt to put pressure on President Rakhimov, one of the longest-serving Russian provincial leaders. Rakhimov has long faced accusations of corruption and excessive control over local businesses.
Several top security officials in Bashkortostan, including the interior minister and the head of the regional Federal Security Service department, were dismissed last December.
During that month, Russian Interior Ministry officers carried out a search of the headquarters of the local security agency guarding the president, and his son Ural Rakhimov.
Vedomosti cited a source in the local presidential staff as saying that Rakhimov, who has led the oil-rich republic since 1993 and whose term expires in 2011, was likely to step down this March. The 75-year-old leader's press service said in a statement that the president will continue performing his duties as head of the region until his term expires in 2011.
