Jailed ex-Governor Sergey Furgal reportedly facing two new criminal charges

Russian investigators have allegedly opened two new criminal cases against jailed former Khabarovsk Krai Governor Sergey Furgal — one for fraud and another for organizing a criminal community. 

Furgal’s lawyer Boris Kozhemyakin told Interfax about the new proceedings on Friday, October 22. At the same time, he noted that the charges have yet to be formally brought against his client and the defense hasn’t been officially notified of them.

“At present, we’ve filed a motion to dismiss the murder case due to a lack of evidence and are awaiting a decision on it,” the lawyer added.

Earlier, the ex-governor’s son, Anton Furgal, wrote about the new criminal proceedings in a post on Instagram: “On October 20, my father was presented with a decision on the initiation of a criminal case under article 210 and article 159 (the organization of a criminal community and fraud, respectively).” According to Anton Furgal, the first interrogation concerning the new cases is scheduled for Monday, October 25. 

Sergey Furgal was arrested in July 2020 on charges of organizing multiple murders in the early 2000s. The then-governor’s arrest provoked a wave of protests in Khabarovsk that lasted for many months. Furgal maintains his innocence.