Overview
- The Higher Qualification Collegium of Judges granted Investigative Committee chair Alexander Bastrykin’s petition, clearing prosecutions against five current and former judges.
- Former court chair Elena Kobleva is slated to face 13 alleged episodes that investigators say include bribe-taking, a knowingly unlawful ruling and obstruction of justice.
- Case materials describe payments from 50,000 to 500,000 rubles for lenient outcomes, with 200,000 rubles allegedly routed to Kobleva in one instance.
- The collegium also approved cases against Oleg Batalshchikov, Artur Maslov, Elmira Ponomareva and Natalia Cmakalova.
- Kobleva did not attend the hearing as her lawyer denied wrongdoing, and the Supreme Court press service says she is already an accused in a separate case and is being held in custody.