MOSCOW, May 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Amur Region governor was accused Wednesday of negligence and abuse of office, and faces up to seven years in prison, Russian prosecutors said.
Charges brought against Leonid Korotkov said that the governor caused an estimated 123 million rubles ($4.8 million) in damage to the regional budget.
He is accused of raising electricity rates to illegally bankroll the local soccer team, buying vehicles at inflated prices and paying 16 million rubles ($620,000) to a mining company for its controlling stake that was never transferred to the regional government.
Leonid Korotkov was approved as the governor of the Eastern Siberian region by the regional legislature in 2005. His term of office expires in 2009.
