A senior judge from the Shovgenovsky District Court in Adygea, Adam Voitlev, is facing charges of fraud after being accused of receiving a bribe.
Russia’s Higher Qualification Collegium of Judges authorised the opening of a criminal fraud case against Voitlev on Monday.
The Head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Aleksandr Bastrykin, submitted a request seeking permission for procedural actions against Voitlev and five other judges from other regions who are suspects in criminal cases. This request was included on the commission’s agenda for the period from 24–28 November.
According to investigators, Voitlev received a bribe of ₽2.3 million ($30,000). For this sum, he allegedly lifted a property seizure of a defendant identified only by the last name Savchenko in a fraud case, promising to assist them in returning the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
This decision to seize Savchenko’s property was overturned on appeal, after which, according to investigators, Voitlev received an additional ₽200,000 ($2,500). However, the case was eventually returned to the courts and Savchenko convicted, after which he reported Voitlev to the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Voitlev’s name was announced at the collegium’s meeting, but he himself did not attend. He also stopped answering phone calls and did not provide his lawyer with authorisation to speak on his behalf. The investigator explained that Voitlet had appeared for questioning during a prior session, but had refused to testify, citing the constitutional right to refuse to answer questions in order to avoid incriminating oneself.
The decision to authorise charges against Voitlev was made after statements by the Chair of the Supreme Court of Russia, Igor Krasnov, who, in his first interview in this position on 5 November, emphasised that manifestations of corruption among judges ‘would be strictly suppressed and are under his personal control’.
By length of service, Voitlev is the most senior judge at the Shovgenovsky District Court, having been appointed in 2015. The court has a total of three judges, including its chair, Timur Kerashev, who became head of the court at the end of 2023 and had previously been a judge at the Koshekhabl District Court. Another judge, Kazbek Tlekhuch, was appointed in March 2021, noted Novaya Gazeta Kubani (New Kuban Newspaper).
In addition to Voitlev, the commission will in the coming days consider whether to authorise a criminal case against Magomed Tembotov, a retired magistrate from Kabarda–Balkaria.
Elizaveta Chukharova
