The Prosecutor General's Office linked Momotov to prostitution in Marton hotels

Viktor Momotov, who has headed the Council of Judges of Russia since 2016, resigned from his post amid a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office seeking the confiscation of his assets. The office maintains that Momotov's position was a cover for the illegal activities of Marton Hotels. 

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," on September 27, the High Qualification Collegium of Judges of the Russian Federation terminated the powers of Supreme Court Judge Viktor Momotov, Chairman of the Council of Judges, based on his resignation. Momotov resigned after becoming a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office to seize property, some of which is located in the Southern Federal District. Co-defendants in the lawsuit include Andrey Marchenko, owner of the Marton hotel chain, and his son Ivan, both of whom were arrested in Krasnodar  in September .

Viktor Momotov filed for early termination of his powers as Chairman of the Council of Judges on October 8, the day a Moscow court began hearing the Prosecutor General's Office's lawsuit against Momotov and Marchenko. Momotov's resignation must be approved by the Council, but his name has already been removed from the body's website, RBC reported, citing sources. 

At a hearing in the Ostankino District Court on October 8, a representative of the Prosecutor General's Office stated that Momotov's judicial status was a cover for illegal activities at the Marton chain of hotels, which he directly participated in creating. The office has confirmation that these hotels rented out rooms by the hour and operated an illegal sex service, TASS reported. 

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Momotov had business and friendly relations with Andrei Korovaiko and Arkady Chebanov, former beneficiaries of the Pokrovsky concern , who are on the international wanted list. The prosecutor also stated that Momotov's appointment to the Supreme Court was lobbied by Alexander Chernov, the former chairman of the Krasnodar Regional Court, whose assets worth 13 billion rubles were confiscated in August . In late September, Chernov was charged with the seizure of the Dmitrievsky agricultural cooperative. 

At the beginning of the hearing, Momotov's lawyer requested that the case be dismissed, but the motion was denied. Momotov himself, speaking in court, denied all charges, stating that he had never been a businessman and that he only knew Marchenko because they lived next door. "This lawsuit was a real blow, including to my health. My life has been completely destroyed," Gazeta.Ru quoted him as saying.

As a result, Momotov's lawyer, Nikita Filippov, requested a postponement of the hearing for several days to review the court case materials and attempt to reach a settlement agreement. The " Slobo Zashchity " project also reported that Momotov had requested a settlement agreement from the court. According to the project, Andrei Marchenko announced during the same hearing that he had signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and requested that his case be referred to a military court. The next hearing is scheduled for September 10. 

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416155