Former speaker of the Tomsk City Duma Chingis Akataev voluntarily surrendered his deputy mandate

The former speaker of the Tomsk City Duma, United Russia member Chingis Akataev, did not wait for the issue of early deprivation of his parliamentary powers to be considered and surrendered his mandate himself. The regional administration sought his resignation, citing violations committed by the deputy when submitting data on family income and property. Mr. Akataev resigned from the post of speaker at the end of 2023, declaring the pressure exerted on him by regional officials. Nevertheless, First Vice-Governor Andrei Dunaev said that the ex-speaker remains “on the governor’s team” and will continue to work for the benefit of the region in a different capacity.

The reason for considering the issue of early deprivation of Chingis Akatayev’s parliamentary powers was an appeal from the regional administration, which revealed violations in the information provided to him about income and property. “There is only one reason: individual entrepreneur Poleshchuk, my wife, for whom, by force of law, I am also filing a declaration, did not indicate the loan agreements that she officially entered into with legal entities,” the deputy himself explained earlier, adding that inaccuracies in filling out the declaration cannot be considered malicious intent. At the same time, he expressed his readiness to prove that he was right. “At the next meeting of the Duma, I will convey my position to the deputies with an open visor. I believe that openness is the most correct and honest position,” the ex-speaker wrote in his Telegram channel February 20th.

Please note that on February 6 the City Duma refused to satisfy a similar demand was made against Yevgeny Kaverzin, a member of the Yabloko faction, limiting himself to a warning. The regional department for the prevention of corruption and other offenses then promised Kommersant that they would make further decisions “in accordance with current legislation,” but so far nothing is known about such measures. As Mr. Kaverzin told Kommersant, he has no information that the regional administration protested the decision of the City Duma in court.

Chingis Akataev did not wait for the issue to be discussed and immediately after the opening of the session on March 5, he announced that in the morning he wrote a statement about his voluntary resignation.

“Six months ago, total checks of expenses, income, property, and business activities began against my family. I won’t tell you what colossal and nervous work it involved,” Mr. Akataev explained, citing an example when inspectors asked his wife to explain where she received 300 rubles. “God forbid you fall under such a millstone,” the ex-speaker stated, without, however, linking these checks with the position of the governor or individual representatives of the regional administration.

“I am absolutely confident and know that the absolute majority of deputies present in this hall would support me today. But recent months have forced me to take a different look at political processes, current events, and new policy principles. I rethought a lot and went through a lot as a businessman, manager, as a deputy and just a person. And now I make a decision as a person who has a family, a beloved wife, children, friends. And I choose the peace of my family,” explained Chingis Akataev. He also noted that with his decision he relieves the deputies of “certain, so to speak, moral inconveniences” associated with the need to vote on this issue: “I want everyone to preserve their face and honor.”

United Russia’s speech evoked different reactions from deputies. If and. O. Speaker Andrei Petrov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) thanked him for the “serious decision” and the work done in the Duma, the leader of the Yabloko faction Vasily Eremin called the ex-speaker’s speech “cowardly.” He emphasized that the regional administration has no legal grounds to demand the resignation of local deputies and it itself admitted this. As evidence, Mr. Eremin cited the response of the regional department for the prevention of corruption violations to the Yabloko members of the Seversk City Duma, which states that “the executive bodies of the Tomsk region cannot influence the decisions made by the Duma and do not have the authority to legally evaluate” decisions related to inaccuracies in parliamentary declarations. “That’s why I don’t know why Chingis Mametovich was afraid,” Vasily Eremin was surprised.

As a result, the City Duma satisfied the application of Chingis Akataev. The regional branch of United Russia did not comment on his decision.

The ex-deputy himself said that after the presidential elections he will have a meeting with Governor Vladimir Mazur, during which, “apparently, a certain new area of ​​work will be discussed.” First Vice-Governor Andrei Dunaev confirmed the preparation of such a meeting and assured that Mr. Akataev “will continue to work in the governor’s team in the interests of the region.” “Important city and regional projects will continue to be implemented with his direct participation,” he wrote in his Telegram channel.

Valery Lavsky, Novosibirsk