A former deputy head of the Volokolamsk urban district administration near Moscow is facing trial for allegedly abusing his power and illegally selling state land valued at 13 million rubles. The Investigative Committee for the Moscow Region initiated the criminal case following an investigation into the fraudulent seizure of land plots.

The investigation revealed that between September and October 2022, the official allegedly signed acts of agreement on the boundaries of five state land plots containing false information. He reportedly bypassed the standard procedure of obtaining consent from adjacent landowners.

The illegal signing of these acts resulted in the removal of five land plots, worth 13 million rubles, from state ownership. Authorities seized the disputed land plots during the investigation with the aim of returning them to state ownership.

The former deputy head now faces a potential prison sentence of three to ten years.

In 2019, the Volokolamsk administration was previously searched in connection with the Delta-Stroy company case, involving a review of improvement contracts. Additionally, in 2018, the home of the mayor of Volokolamsk, Petr Lazarev, was searched following a rally against the Yadrovo landfill.