Penza, 11 May 2018. PenzaNews. The former vice-governor of the Penza region, Valery Savin, suspected of fraud said that no substantial evidence of his guilt had been found over 1.5 years of investigation of the criminal case involving the non-commercial horticultural co-operative Iskra-1.

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"The criminal case against me was initiated only in December 2017. They postponed doing this for a long time. First, in February 2017, a criminal case was opened against [Penza vice mayor] Vladimir Anatolievich Popkov, who had allegedly signed the decree on the allocation of land in hindsight. In August 2017 a criminal case was opened against [Penza vice mayor] Irina Vladimirovna Shirshina. Only on December 12, 2017, they initiated a criminal case against me. [...] In accordance with the law, the term of preliminary investigation on criminal case is one year. Given the fact that the case involving my plot of land was initiated in February 2017, the deadline has already expired. No substantial evidence of my guilt was found," Valery Savin said in an interview with the Ulitsa Moskovskaya newspaper, whose latest issue was published on Friday, May 11.

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According to him, in February 2018 "Moscow gave green light to extend the term of preliminary investigation until May 17".

"This date is right around the corner but nobody lets me get acquainted with the materials of the investigation. The investigator said that they would once again turn to Moscow for the extension of the term of preliminary investigation until August 17," the former official said adding that it was the third investigator over 1.5 years who examined the circumstances of the case.

"They either do not see or not hear the evidence of my innocence that I provide, even though there are witnesses and testimony of in my favour," the interlocutor said.