The defense of the ex-governor of the Kursk region Smirnov requested a lenient punishment.

The lawyers are asking for a punishment below the lowest limit to be imposed on the former governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, who is accused of taking bribes on an especially large scale. This was reported to Izvestia by the court's press service.

"The defendant was very brief in the debate, supporting the position of his defenders, who, among other things, asked for a sentence below the lowest limit stipulated by the sanction of the article," the Joint Press Service of the courts of the Kursk region clarified.

In turn, Smirnov said that he always tried to do his job and "as concisely as possible" to eliminate all negative consequences for local residents, the economy and the region. The prosecutor requested 15 years in a strict regime penal colony with a fine of 500 million rubles for the ex-governor. The state prosecution also asked to confiscate 20.9 million rubles from him.

Defense initiative: why the ex-head of the Kursk region was arrested

Alexey Smirnov faces up to ten years in prison.

On the same day, Smirnov confessed to receiving these bribes, but noted that he had never asked the contractors for money — according to him, it was their "voluntary wishes."

On February 25, Smirnov confirmed testimony that Roman Starovoit, the former head of the region and former Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, had received large-scale bribes. Before that, in February, Smirnov was placed in jail on the register as suicidal and self-harming.

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