The court recovered more than 1 billion rubles from the former head of Nizhny Novgorod

The court recovered over 1 billion rubles from the former head of Nizhny Novgorod Oleg Sorokin. This was announced on September 9 by the regional prosecutor's office.

"According to the claim of the prosecutor's office of the Nizhny Novgorod region, over 1 billion rubles have been recovered from the former head of Nizhny Novgorod to the state revenue, the legality of which has not been confirmed," the agency's Telegram channel said.

The investigation found that in the period from October 2010 to October 2015, Sorokin, being the head of the city, was engaged in commercial activities, despite the requirements of anti-corruption legislation. He was interested in the activities of a real estate developer owned by his wife, Elada Nagornaya, and used his official powers to create favorable conditions for the company in order to make a profit.

As part of the corruption scheme, Sorokin secured contracts with the Ministry of State Property of the Nizhny Novgorod region for the lease of land. Later, the residential complex "Novaya Kuznechikha" was built on them. As a result of the sale of apartments in the period from 2014 to 2022, the ex-mayor received more than 1.5 billion rubles in profit.

According to investigators, in December 2023, Nagornaya filed an application to resign from the founders of the Start-Stroy company in order to manage the money received. According to the law, her resignation entailed the obligation to pay the value of the woman's share in the amount of more than 1 billion rubles.

"The prosecutor's office has appealed to the court with a statement of claim against Sorokin, his ex—wife and persons affiliated with him about applying to the state income for the right to claim the specified payment. <...> By the court's decision, which entered into force, the prosecutor's office's demands were fully satisfied," the department said.

The press service of the Nizhny Novgorod prosecutor's office added that earlier, at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia, 1.5 billion rubles were recovered from Sorokin and his affiliates, also received as a result of corrupt actions.

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What is the reason for this and why crimes related to bribes have become more common?

On September 2, it was reported that the former director of the Department for the construction and repair of the subway, bridges and road networks of Nizhny Novgorod was arrested in a case of bribery. According to investigators, in the period from 2024 to 2025, the accused helped a commercial organization win a competition for the construction and repair of highways in the regional center. The Nizhny Novgorod Investigative Committee clarified that the former head of the department is charged under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Receiving a bribe on an especially large scale").

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