ROSTOV-ON-DON, December 13 (RIA Novosti) - A district court in south Russia has ordered an international search for the mayor of Stavropol, charged with abuse of office, a local police spokesman said on Thursday.
Dmitry Kuzmin, whose whereabouts is unknown, is suspected of illegal transactions involving real estate.
"The court ruled in absentia to arrest Kuzmin, and placed him on the international wanted list," said Sergei Solodovnikov, first deputy head of the Interior Ministry's southern department.
Kuzmin, who headed the pro-Kremlin United Russia party's list of candidates in the Stavropol Territory for the December 2 parliamentary elections, was barred from elections and placed on the federal wanted list, with his mayoral tenure suspended.
The Stavropol Territory was the only region where United Russia lost elections to local legislatures in March 2007.
