22:50, 11 May 2011

Rostov Region: former Acting Mayor of Novoshakhtinsk fined on charges of mismanagement

Sergey Skobelev, Acting Mayor of Novoshakhtinsk, has been fined by 120,000 roubles for a series of illegal, according to prosecutors, payments made to himself and his subordinates. The verdict was appealed against.

As established by prosecutors, in March 2009 Skobelev illegally ordered to pay bonuses to him and his administration officials, who took part in organizing and holding early elections of the city mayor. These monetary rewards in the amount of more than 543,000 roubles, according to the order signed by him, were made from the budget allocations to the city administration for 2009.

Besides, in the same month Skobelev ordered to accrue to himself and his subordinates the quarterly premium totalling 880,000 roubles for the time they never worked.

By the sentence of the Novoshakhtinsk District Court Skobelev was found guilty of alleged crimes and sentenced to a fine of 120,000 roubles.

The sentence has not come into legal force, since the Prosecutor's Office of Novoshakhtinsk refused to uphold it because of "excessive leniency". Currently, the sentence has been appealed in the order of cassation.