SAMARA, May 2 (RIA Novosti) - The mayor of Togliatti, a city in the Volga area, has been detained on suspicion of extorting a 150 million ruble ($5.7 million) bribe, local prosecutors said Wednesday.
They said Nikolai Utkin sought a bribe in exchange for a lease on 1.5 million square meters of land to a commercial company, threatening "unfavorable consequences" if the company refused, including the seizure of plots of land leased earlier.
Prosecutors said an intermediary acting on Utkin's behalf was detained May 1, for accepting 25 million rubles as a "first installment" from the company director.
A criminal investigation has been opened.
Togliatti is home to AvtoVAZ, Russia's largest carmaker.
