Yekaterinburg court refuses to place sitting Duma deputy in jail, following detention by federal agents

A court in Yekaterinburg has refused to sanction the arrest of Vadim Belousov, a State Duma deputy detained this Friday on suspicion of receiving more than 3 billion rubles in bribes between 2010 and 2014. The ruling takes effect in three days, if officials don’t challenge the decision in appellate court.

Last December, at the Attorney General’s request, Belousov’s fellow lawmakers voted to strip him of his legal immunity as a State Duma deputy. It was the first time in the parliament’s history that members revoked a colleague’s immunity in a closed session.

Former Chelyabinsk Governor Mikhail Yurevich, whom investigators accuse of acting with Belousov, has fled Russia and is wanted by police.