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Eastern Europe
February 1, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 19
High drama as Russia’s Investigative Committee arrests a senator on murder charges on the Federation Council floor
bne IntelliNews
High drama in the Russian upper house of parlia- ment, the Federation Council, after officers from Russia’s Investigative Committee swooped on Senator Rauf Arashukov, who had his immunity lifted and was arrested on two counts of murder as well as other charges on January 30.
Arashukov is the representative from Karachay- Cherkessia and was accused of masterminding two killings from over a decade ago. The arrest was made by officers from the Investigative Committee, Russia’s answer the to the legendary “Untouchables” police officers that battled the mafia in the US.
The arrest was so important that the head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin personally oversaw the operation. Bastrykin
is probably Russia’s most feared policeman, who has doggedly pursued exiled oligarch and Yukos Oil owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associates. Economist and now chief economist at the EBRD Sergei Guriev fled Russia after being questioned by Bastrykin’s men
in connection with an investigation into Khodorkovsky’s business.
Arashukov tried to leave the chamber during a speech from prosecutor general of Russia Yuri Chaika accusing Arashukov of various crimes. Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko insisted that he stay. The other members of the council then voted to strip him of his immunity and he was arrested on the floor of the chamber.
Russian Senator Rauf Arashukov was arrested on the Federation Council floor on two counts of murder.
After the session the ruling United Russia, of which Arashukov is a member, suspended his member- ship, pending the results of the investigation.
The 32-year-old Arashukov was accused of committing crimes under three articles of
the Criminal Code: participation in a criminal community, which carries a maximum penalty
of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to RUB1mn ($15,000); tampering with witnesses (up to seven years) and two murders (life sentence).
Federal investigators suspect Arashukov of ordering the contract killings in 2010 of a youth activist named Aslan Zhukov and an adviser to former Karachay-Cherkessia President Boris Ebzeyev named Fral Shebzukhov, Meduza reports. There are reported that Arashukov is also linked to another two killings.
Amongst the other charges are accusations of causing grievous bodily harm, participating in organised crime and forging the documents that allowed him to become a member of the Federation Council.
Arashukov became a city council member
in Stavropol in 2014 and by the age of 21 he was Karachay-Cherkessia's labour and social development minister. Arashukov has served in Karachay-Cherkessia’s parliament and government, and worked for different Gazprom subsidiaries over the years. He joined the Federation Council on September 18, 2016.