Senior judge in Russia accused of pimping

Corruption in Russia

Senior judge in Russia accused of pimping

A Supreme Court judge in Russia is said to be involved in prostitution. The trial highlights the “traditional values” in Russia that President Putin upholds.

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has now accused the Chairman of the Council of Judges, Viktor Momotov, who was accused of corruption, of pimping. The senior judge used his position to cover up prostitution in a hotel chain he owned. “There was a lot to cover: not just the hotels, but also the illegal activity, namely intimate services, the hourly rental of rooms and saunas,” a representative of the prosecutor’s office told the media holding RBK in a Moscow court.

Momotov denied all allegations. He said he had not enriched himself illegally. He has no connection whatsoever to the Marton hotel chain attributed to him and its owner.

The Prosecutor General’s Office filed its first lawsuit against Momotov for corruption two weeks ago, demanding the confiscation of nearly 100 properties. Three days later, the 64-year-old submitted his resignation as a judge at Russia’s Supreme Court. He had held the post since 2010.

What’s piquant about the case is that, according to media reports, it was initiated by long-time Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov. At the end of September, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin appointed him chairman of the Supreme Court. The Kremlin-critical political scientist Abbas Galljamov viewed Momotov’s removal and prosecution as an imminent restructuring of the judicial apparatus.