SC upholds removal of MP's immunity from Parshin

Today, the Russia's Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the decision of the State Duma to deprive the leader of Volgograd Communists Nikolai Parshin of his parliamentary immunity in connection with the criminal case of fraud initiated against him.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 4 the Russian State Duma voted for deprivation of Nikolai Parshin, an MP from the CPRF faction, who is suspected of fraud, of his deputy immunity. On August 27, Nikolai Parshin submitted his petition to the SC contesting the above decision of the State Duma.

Today, at the SC session, his representatives tried to prove that the decision of the State Duma to lift Parshin's immunity was adopted in violation of the regulations, since the MPs had voted too early.

"Because of this haste, I was deprived of my legitimate right to defend myself and challenge the allegations; and I had no time to study the documents, submitted by the General Prosecutor's Office to the State Duma," the ITAR-TASS quoted Parshin as saying today at the SC session.

He added that the criminal case against him was politically motivated and initiated in order to prevent his nomination for the post of the Governor of the Volgograd Region.

The decision of the SC has not yet entered into force, as Nikolai Parshin intends to appeal against it.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.