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Lawmakers Take Step to Remove Putin Critic Lawmakers Take Step to Remove Putin Critic
(about 2 hours later)
MOSCOW — Russian lawmakers took a major step on Tuesday toward ousting Ilya V. Ponomarev, the only member of Parliament who opposed the annexation of Crimea last year and one of the few elected officials who has repeatedly dared to challenge President Vladimir V. Putin publicly. MOSCOW — Russian lawmakers took a major step on Tuesday toward ousting Ilya V. Ponomarev, the only member of Parliament who opposed the annexation of Crimea last year and one of the few elected officials who have repeatedly dared to challenge President Vladimir V. Putin publicly.
In a move of seemingly naked political retribution, the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, voted overwhelmingly to strip Mr. Ponomarev of the immunity from prosecution granted to lawmakers by the Russian Constitution.In a move of seemingly naked political retribution, the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, voted overwhelmingly to strip Mr. Ponomarev of the immunity from prosecution granted to lawmakers by the Russian Constitution.
That now allows prosecutors to bring a criminal case against him as an accomplice in an embezzlement case that is expected to result in his conviction, and ultimately to his expulsion from the Duma. That now allows prosecutors to bring a criminal case against him as an accomplice in an embezzlement case that is expected to result in his conviction and his expulsion from the Duma.
Mr. Ponomarev, who was first elected to the Duma in 2007 from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and re-elected in 2011, became a leader of political protests that shook Moscow before Mr. Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012, and he has been one of the Kremlin’s most resolute critics. At the same time, he has insisted that his hope is to change Russia from within.Mr. Ponomarev, who was first elected to the Duma in 2007 from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and re-elected in 2011, became a leader of political protests that shook Moscow before Mr. Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012, and he has been one of the Kremlin’s most resolute critics. At the same time, he has insisted that his hope is to change Russia from within.
By far his boldest move has been to cast the sole vote against the annexation of Crimea at a time when even many critics of Mr. Putin were afraid to speak out, given broad public support for Russia’s retaking of the peninsula. The tally was 445 to 1, and Mr. Ponomarev said he wanted the world to know that the annexation did not have unanimous support.By far his boldest move has been to cast the sole vote against the annexation of Crimea at a time when even many critics of Mr. Putin were afraid to speak out, given broad public support for Russia’s retaking of the peninsula. The tally was 445 to 1, and Mr. Ponomarev said he wanted the world to know that the annexation did not have unanimous support.
The looming criminal case stems from the alleged embezzlement of about $750,000 from a government-financed research institute called Skolkovo, in which a vice president of the institute, Aleksey Beltyukov, is accused of paying Mr. Ponomarev, a former technology entrepreneur, for lectures that were never delivered.The looming criminal case stems from the alleged embezzlement of about $750,000 from a government-financed research institute called Skolkovo, in which a vice president of the institute, Aleksey Beltyukov, is accused of paying Mr. Ponomarev, a former technology entrepreneur, for lectures that were never delivered.
Mr. Ponomarev, who has been living outside Russia — mostly in the United States — since last summer, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and he did so again on Tuesday in a telephone interview. Reached as he was driving to Boston from Princeton, Mr. Ponomarev said that his friend and fellow opposition lawmaker Dmitry G. Gudkov was not permitted to speak before Tuesday’s vote. “The whole procedure in the Duma was orchestrated,” Mr. Ponomarev said. Mr. Ponomarev, who has been living outside Russia — mostly in the United States — since last summer, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and he did so again on Tuesday in a telephone interview.
Reached as he was driving to Boston from Princeton, Mr. Ponomarev said his friend and fellow opposition lawmaker Dmitry G. Gudkov was not permitted to speak before Tuesday’s vote. “The whole procedure in the Duma was orchestrated,” Mr. Ponomarev said.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, said his faction was voting to strip Mr. Ponomarev’s immunity and hoped to eject him from the Duma. “He is a man who caused negative feelings from the beginning,” Mr. Zhirinovsky said in a speech. “He came to work in shabby bluejeans and a sweater. He acted with a good deal of contempt.”Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, said his faction was voting to strip Mr. Ponomarev’s immunity and hoped to eject him from the Duma. “He is a man who caused negative feelings from the beginning,” Mr. Zhirinovsky said in a speech. “He came to work in shabby bluejeans and a sweater. He acted with a good deal of contempt.”
Mr. Ponomarev is not the first critic of Mr. Putin to face ouster from Parliament. In 2012, Mr. Gudkov’s father, Gennadi V. Gudkov, was expelled from the Duma, also after being accused of financial crimes.Mr. Ponomarev is not the first critic of Mr. Putin to face ouster from Parliament. In 2012, Mr. Gudkov’s father, Gennadi V. Gudkov, was expelled from the Duma, also after being accused of financial crimes.
The younger Mr. Gudkov, posting on Facebook, listed the questions that he had hoped to ask in Parliament to show that there was no basis to the criminal case against Mr. Ponomarev. He pointed out that the dispute over the Skolkovo money had been the subject of a previous civil court case and that it had already been adjudicated and decided mostly in Mr. Ponomarev’s favor.The younger Mr. Gudkov, posting on Facebook, listed the questions that he had hoped to ask in Parliament to show that there was no basis to the criminal case against Mr. Ponomarev. He pointed out that the dispute over the Skolkovo money had been the subject of a previous civil court case and that it had already been adjudicated and decided mostly in Mr. Ponomarev’s favor.
In Tuesday’s vote of 438 to 1 to strip immunity, Mr. Gudkov was the sole “no.” He said that he had also voted on Mr. Ponomarev’s behalf, which is permitted under the Duma’s rules. In Tuesday’s vote of 438 to 1 to strip immunity, Mr. Gudkov was the sole “no.” He said he had also voted on Mr. Ponomarev’s behalf, which is permitted under the Duma’s rules.
“I pushed the abstain button using Ilya Ponomarev’s card,” Mr. Gudkov wrote. “I don’t think he would mind.”“I pushed the abstain button using Ilya Ponomarev’s card,” Mr. Gudkov wrote. “I don’t think he would mind.”