Evenkia senator dispute over?

The parliament of Evenkia (an autonomous district of Russia) will not appeal the verdict of the Krasnoyarsk Territorial court (Siberia) which ruled that early termination of Nikolai Anisimov's senatorial mandate and subsequent election of Vasily Shakhnovsky to Russia's Federation Council had been illegitimate, Alexander Gliskov, a lawyer representing the Evenkian parliament's interests in court, told journalists in Novosibirsk.

Vasily Shakhnovsky, former head of the Yukos-Moscow oil company, is charged by Prosecutor General's Office with financial misappropriations and tax evasion. His election to the Federation Council, where he was to replace Nikolai Anisimov, occurred after the prosecutors had brought in their indictment and made him immune to criminal prosecution.

Gliskov said that on Monday, November 24, Evenkian MPs would consider the decision passed by the territorial court. They are unlikely to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, and Anisimov would retain his senatorial mandate, the lawyer added.

On Saturday, Evenkian Governor Boris Zolotaryov had to answer the questions put to him by an investigator of the Prosecutor General's Office in Siberia in connection with the accusations brought against him on the part of Nikolai Anisimov who claimed that Evenkia's top official had put pressure on him in an attempt to force his early resignation.

The governor told the investigator that these accusations were "absolutely groundless."