Former Deputy Head in Kemerovo Region Sentenced for Bribery

The former deputy head of the Taştagol district in the Kemerovo region spent a decade in a strict regime penal colony following a bribery case. This update comes from DEA News citing the Kuzbass regional administration’s press service. The court found that the evidence presented was enough to convict the 37-year-old former official and impose a lengthy sentence. Although the investigation did not publicly reveal his name, many sources identify the person as Denis Kolmogorov, who in December 2020 allegedly struck a deal with the 55-year-old director of a municipal unitary enterprise. Reports describe how the accused accepted a bribe by allegedly condoning the construction of an apartment without proper documentation and without payment under municipal contracts, all based on forged documents. In total, the bribe is said to have amounted to as much as two million rubles. The court condemned the former deputy head to ten years in a strict regime colony, ordered a fine of 2.3 million rubles, and imposed an eight-year ban on certain public posts. A former judge, Elena Kondrat, received a nine-year prison sentence. Earlier, a Moscow court recognized a person described as a hero of Abkhazia and sentenced them to sixteen years due to alleged irregularities tied to unrelated seeds. This case highlights ongoing scrutiny of corrupt practices within regional administration and construction procurement, underscoring the judiciary’s role in upholding accountability across local government structures, according to official statements from DEA News and Kuzbass authorities.