Ex-mayor of Sochi suspected of taking 43 million rubles in bribes through his wife

Former Sochi mayor Alexei Kopaigorodsky is suspected of receiving a bribe of 43 million rubles from a businessman through his wife Yanina. This was reported in the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation on December 23.

According to the investigation, Kopaygorodsky received a bribe from the Sochi businessman in November 2023. It is specified that it consisted in the provision of services of a property nature in the amount of more than 43 million rubles, as well as associated with extortion.

The press service specified that in return, the ex-mayor of Sochi was to create favorable conditions for the development of the business of the entrepreneur and provide general patronage.

"The suspects were detained in the fall of this year with the participation of operatives of the GUEBiPK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, their colleagues from the Krasnodar region and officers of the Federal Security Service of Russia", - said in the "MIA Media".

It is noted that residential and office premises in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and Krasnodar were searched and money, valuables, documents and other items of evidentiary value were seized. Measures of restraint in the form of detention and house arrest were chosen against the defendants.

Earlier, December 20, the lawyer of Kopaigorodsky's wife, Elizaveta Metkina, told "Izvestia" that the court left her client under house arrest. The woman is accused of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Appropriation or embezzlement").

Before that, on November 14, the court extended the measure of restraint in the form of detention until February 17, 2025, the former mayor himself. The former mayor of Sochi was detained on September 25 in the special operation zone, the same day he was arrested. Kopaigorodsky is charged with embezzlement of 3.7 million rubles, he did not admit guilt.

In early October, the property of the former mayor's relatives was arrested. The wife of the former mayor Yanina was detained on November 12, and the next day she was sent under house arrest. The woman's credit accounts for 100 million rubles were arrested. Lawyer Ivan Mironov told Izvestia that Kopaygorodskaya is suspected of embezzlement together with her husband.