The Council of Judges approved the resignation of Viktor Momotov.

The Council of Judges of Russia has accepted the early resignation of its chairman, Viktor Momotov, who had headed the organization since 2016.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in late September, the head of the Council of Judges, Viktor Momotov, became a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office for the seizure of property, some of which is located in the Southern Federal District. Immediately after this, Momotov requested the termination of his powers as a Supreme Court judge; the High Qualification Collegium of Judges of the Russian Federation granted his request on September 27. Momotov requested his resignation as head of the Council of Judges only on October 8, when the trial of the Prosecutor General's Office's lawsuit began in Moscow. On October 14, the court upheld the claim, ordering the seizure of the assets of Momotov and Kuban businessmen Andrei and Ivan Marchenko for state benefit.

The Council of Judges of Russia has granted the request for early resignation that Viktor Momotov filed amid the legal proceedings brought by the Prosecutor General's Office. The decision was made unanimously; Momotov himself did not participate in the hearing, BFM-Kuban reports today.

The hearing took place on October 15, the day after the decision to seize assets worth over 9 billion rubles from Momotov and his partners. Meanwhile, Viktor Momotov's name was removed from the Council of Judges' website on the day of his application, October 8, as RBC previously reported. The Council has not issued any official comments regarding the termination of Momotov's term.

Viktor Momotov became a judge of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in 2010. In 2013, he was elected Secretary of the Supreme Court Plenum, and in late 2016, he was elected Chairman of the Council of Judges of Russia. Momotov's term was extended for another term in 2022.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that Andrei Marchenko signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and on October 8 requested that his case be referred to a military court. At a hearing on October 10, Marchenko stated that Momotov helped him regain land in Kuban, for which he received 30 million rubles. The connection between Marchenko and Momotov explains the decisions of Volgograd courts that rejected claims regarding the illegal construction of the Marton hotels. A secret witness stated that Marchenko was only fictitiously listed as a member of the SVO, while he himself was in Krasnodar.