Moscow, 22 March 2021. PenzaNews. Moscow's Basmanny District Court granted the investigators' petition to detain Penza region governor Ivan Belozertsev for two months, until May 20.

© PenzaNewsBuy the photo

The measure of restraint was selected during a meeting on Monday, March 22.

The defence asked the court to impose a preventive measure against Ivan Belozertsev in the form of house arrest or other non-custodial detention.

Earlier, as part of a criminal investigation into bribery, the Penza governor was charged under Part 6, Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Taking a bribe”.

According to investigators, between January and September 2020 Ivan Belozertsev received bribes in the form of money and other valuables worth more than 31 million roubles from head of Biotec Group of pharmaceutical companies Boris Shpigel, his wife Evgenia Shpigel and Anton Koloskov, CEO of Farmatsiya OJSC through intermediaries.

According to the Investigative Committee, the bribes were paid to give Biotec Group a competitive advantage in state contracts.