MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court on Friday ordered that a regional governor who beat a ruling party candidate in a 2018 election be held in pre-trial detention, charged with organising the murder of several entrepreneurs 15 years ago.
Sergei Furgal, governor of the far eastern Khabarovsk region, was detained on Thursday and taken to Moscow. He could face up to life in prison if found guilty of the charges dating from 2004-2005 that also included an attempted murder.
He denies the charges and one of his lawyers told the RIA news agency that he would appeal against the ruling.
The judge ruled that Furgal be remanded in custody until Sept. 9.
The hearing was closed to media and the public at the prosecution’s request to ensure the safety of Furgal and other participants in the case, several of whom had reported being threatened, the prosecution said.
“I have not received any threats,” Furgal was quoted as saying by the RBC daily. “I do not see any threat to me from others. As far as others are concerned, I don’t know anything about it.”
Furgal, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party known as the LDPR and a former lawmaker, was popular in the Pacific region where he swept to power in 2018 after defeating a rival from the ruling United Russia party that backs President Vladimir Putin.
Five other members of Furgal’s party in Khabarovsk were searched, first deputy chairman of the local parliament and LDPR member Sergei Zyubr was cited as saying by the TASS news agency on Friday.
A petition calling for Furgal’s release had gathered more than 35,000 signatures by Friday and his supporters were posting pictures on social media with a message set against the colours of the Khabarovsk region’s flag, reading: “I am/We are Sergei Furgal.”
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Additional reporting by Maria Vasilyeva; Editing by Katya Golubkova and Nick Macfie)
