Penza, 16 May 2014. PenzaNews. The period of detention of the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Penza region of the fifth convocation of the Communist Party Andrei Zuev, accused of organizing a gang, was extended until 16 November 2014.

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Also at the request of the investigator for particularly important cases of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Penza region, until that time the detention was extended for two other defendants in custody, and three individuals who had previously been put under house arrest.

“According to the investigators, the above persons, committed a series of crimes involving firearms and non-lethal weapons against entrepreneurs and residents of the region. Currently, five cases have been merged into one case on extortion, causing grievous bodily harm, robbery and so on,” the Senior Assistant of the Head of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Penza, Media relations, Lyudmila Fomina.

She added that currently all required investigative actions aimed at collecting and securing evidence are being made.

“The criminal investigation is ongoing,” the agency interlocutor noted.

The investigators believe that since the beginning of 2000s Andrei Zuev and five members of the armed group committed a series of crimes involving weapons against entrepreneurs and residents of the Penza region. Currently, five cases are considered within one procedure upon extortion, causing bodily harm, robbery and other crimes.

The detention of the suspects was organized on Wednesday, December 4, at ten addresses at a time.

Commenting on the criminal case against Andrei Zuev, the First Secretary of the Regional Committee of the Communist party, a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Penza region Georgy Kamnev noted that it is of a political nature.

He expressed the opinion that if such group had existed and since the beginning of the 2000s its members had actually committed serious and particularly serious crimes, as claimed by the investigators, then its criminal activities should have been eradicated by law enforcement officials long ago.

The similar point of view was expressed by the Communist Party State Duma Deputy Vladimir Simagin, who said that the case against Andrei Zuev “smells of politics.

On December 6, Oktyabrsky district court made a decision to arrest Andrei Zuev and all other suspects for two months for banditry.

On December 16, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Penza region spread information that the detainees admitted their involvement in a number of crimes, and Andrei Zuev was directly involved in them.

According to the political analyst Anatoly Bodrov, the criminal case initiated against the member of the Legislative Assembly of the region Andrei Zuev discredited the power again.

According to the Investigating Committee, Andrei Zuev, as well as other defendants in the case, was moved from the status of a suspect to the accused n December 2013.