MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is not bound by a court case against the Kirov Region governor suspected of bribery in deciding the terms of his ouster, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
"The President has not yet made any personnel decisions [regarding Kirov Governor Nikita Belykh]. If and when he does, we will inform you accordingly," Peskov told reporters when asked whether Putin planned to dismiss Belykh in the near future.
Peskov clarified that the head of state was not bound by the outcome of a court case against Belykh, who was detained late last week in the act of allegedly accepting a nearly $450,000 bribe, in making his decision.
"You know that there are different formulations that allow the head of state to remove the sitting regional leader from office. Exactly which [path] the President selects and chooses is his decision," the spokesman stressed.
Belykh told the court he denies accusations but is ready to cooperate with investigators. He was detained on Friday in Moscow while allegedly taking a nearly $450,000 bribe.
