President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday fired the governor of the far eastern Sakhalin region, who faces up to 15 years in prison on a charge of large-scale bribe-taking.
Former governor Alexander Khoroshavin, who is in a pretrial detention center in Moscow, allegedly received more than $5.6 million in bribes to facilitate business deals while governor, investigators have said.
Earlier this month, authorities seized some $16 million in cash from Khoroshavin's multiple homes, including three apartments in Moscow and a nearby dacha.
According to statements posted Wednesday on the Kremlin's website, Putin relieved Khoroshavin of his duties because of a loss of confidence in the official and appointed Oleg Kozhemyako, who was serving as governor of the far eastern Amur region, to be temporary governor of Sakhalin.
Kozhemyako resigned from the Amur region governorship on his own volition, the Kremlin said, and Alexander Kozlov, mayor of the Amur region's capital, Blagoveshchensk, will temporarily serve as governor of the region.
Kozhemyako and Kozlov will serve at the positions until new governors are elected, the Kremlin said.
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