MOSCOW, August 18 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow’s Basmanny Court changed on Thursday the measure of restraint for home arrest to ex-chief of the investigation surveillance department of the Moscow Region prosecutor’s office Dmitry Urumov, charged in the case on “covering” illegal gambling in the Moscow Region. He was released from custody at the courtroom.
“The court satisfies an appeal by the investigator to change the measure of restraint for Urumov from holding in custody to home arrest,” judge Artur Karpov said.
At the same time, the court set some restrictions for Urumov. For instance, while under home arrest, he is forbidden to leave his flat, to have contacts with participants in this criminal trial, to receive and send correspondence and to hold talks with the use of any means of communications.
According to the defense lawyer, “Urumov, accompanied by a convoy, will go now to the investigation ward to receive documents on his release, and the ninth department of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) that will exercise surveillance over his conduct, will decide how to carry out the new measure of restraint”.
Urumov will be under home arrest in the Festivalnaya Street, Moscow.
“I regard the investigator’s appeal and the court ruling fully legitimate and just,” Urumov said after the ruling was announced. Asked by reporters whether he fears for his life after several confessions, the ex-prosecutor said: “I shall not comment on this.”
Investigator of this case Denis Nikandrov said at the court that the court had earlier established circumstances which permitted to select a measure of restraint for Urumov in the form of arrest; however, these circumstances have changed.
For instance, according to Nikandrov, Urumov actively cooperated with the investigation: he was interrogated 25 times and gave confessions, including 15 cases of getting bribes together with former first deputy prosecutor of the Moscow Region Alexander Ignatenko and other members of the group to a total sum of over 17 million rubles. Urumov confirmed his confessions during inspections on the spot.
Besides, he gave testimony about cases, unknown hitherto to the investigation, including those concerning officers of the “K” department of the Russian Interior Ministry Farit Temirgaliev, Mikhail Kulikov and Oleg Sudakov.
Urumov fully backed the investigator’s stand, saying that the home arrest will ensure him “an appropriate level of isolation”.
The prosecutor and Urumov’s defence lawyers also supported the appeal of the investigation on changing the measure of restraint. “This is a rare situation when all the sides in the case request the court unanimously about the same thing,” defense lawyers noted at the court.
Urumov is accused of getting bribes in the case of “covering” illegal gambling in the Moscow Region. According to the investigation’s version, he regularly personally and through a go-between received money from Ivan Nazarov (supposed gang lord of illegal gambling), Marat Mamyev and Alla Guseva for protecting illegal activities on organizing gambling in the Moscow Region.
Earlier, spokesman of the Russian Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said that “taking into account data on Urumov’s personality, his family and property position as well as his conduct after the crime and during the preliminary investigation, the investigation deems it possible to change for the accused the measure of restraint to the home arrest, setting him limits, connected with the freedom of movement and bans on contacts with participants in this criminal case, to receive and send correspondence, to hold talks with the use of any means of communications”.
The Russian Federal Security Service reported in February on laying bare an underground gambling network in the Moscow Region. The Investigative Committee stated of possible complicity in the case of regional prosecutors, heads of structural units of prosecutors’ offices and the police department of the Moscow Region.
The accusation of getting large bribes was slapped down on former Moscow Region prosecutor Dmitry Urumov, Roman Nishchemenko and Oleg Basylian as well as head of the “K’ department section of the Russian Interior Ministry Farit Temirgaliev and his deputy Mikhail Kulikov. Ex-prosecutor of Noginsk City Vladimir Glebov, accused of exceeding his office powers, is under recognizance not to leave the city.
Another two members of the network – former first deputy prosecutor of the Moscow Region Alexander Ignatenko and ex-prosecutor of Klin City Eduard Kaplun – have been put on the Wanted List. Ignatenko is accused in absentia of getting a bribe and swindling. Later, Oleg Sudakov was also accused of swindling.
Besides, swindling is also incriminated to deputy head of the economic crime section of the police department in the city of Pushkin Nikolai Pyshkin and police officers of the regional police department Dmitry Akulin and Sergei Yermakov. The case was started due to testimony of Ivan Volkov who is now on recognizance not to leave the city.