Authorities in Russia have placed Andrei Korobka, vice governor of the Krasnodar region, in pre-trial detention over corruption allegations involving ะฝะตะทะฐะบะพะฝะฝัะน land rezoning and business dealings.
The Leninsky District Court ruled on Tuesday that Korobka must remain in custody until at least June 6. Investigators accuse him of fraud, claiming he accepted 15 million rubles ($190,600) from a developer in January to ะฝะตะทะฐะบะพะฝะฝะพ authorize residential construction on land designated for industrial use.
According to officials, Korobka failed to deliver on the ะพะฑะตัะฐะฝะธั and instead embezzled the funds. Prosecutors argued that, due to his senior position, he could interfere with witnesses or destroy evidence if released. Consequently, the court approved his continued detention.
Meanwhile, the case has expanded beyond the alleged bribery. Authorities ัะฐะฝะตะต seized assets linked to Korobka, his family, and associates. These include 135 land plots, around 100 buildings, and lease rights to 12,500 hectares of farmland. In addition, shares in 12 connected companies are nominally valued at 6.5 billion rubles, although Kommersant reported their market value could exceed $1.2 billion.
Investigators have named 20 individuals and three agro-industrial firms in what the court described as an โillegal merger of business and government,โ allegedly inflating private enterprise values by over 10 billion rubles.
Furthermore, prosecutors said Korobka attempted to conceal evidence before his arrest. Trucks reportedly removed ะธะผััะตััะฒะพ from his residence in Dinskaya shortly before police arrived. A subsequent search uncovered large sums of cash in multiple currencies.
If convicted, Korobka faces up to 10 years in prison. His arrest adds to a series of prosecutions targeting senior officials in the region, including former deputy governors Alexander Vlasov and Alexander Kainov.
