A rally of about a hundred people gathered in Southern Russia’s Stavropol on Friday following the news that the city manager was detained on corruption charges.
Igor Bestuzhy, the head of Stavropol’s city administration, was detained on Thursday on suspicion of demanding a bribe of 50 million rubles ($1.7 million) from an individual who wanted to lease five hectares of state-owned land.
The rally lasted only about 20 minutes and ended when police informed protestors that the event was not authorized and warned they might “take measures” if the crowd didn't break up.
“My participation is purely accidental, I was just passing by, but I would like to say that this day is a holiday for Stavropol and all its residents because Stavropol’s city manager Igor Bestuzhy was detained,” the chairman of the Stavropol Territory Public Chamber Sergei Popov said.
He added that the lawmakers of the City Duma, who unanimously appointed then deputy mayor Bestuzhy to the post last May, should consider leaving their post voluntarily.
“It’s now up to the legislature to decide whether they should dissolve or not,” he said.
