Officials Appeal Drop of Bribery Charges for Well-Connected Instructor
Bribery charges were dropped against Polina Surina, the daughter of a dean at Moscow State University, Russian law enforcement officials said, after accusations arose that a high-level United Russia official lobbied for the case to be closed.
Surina was released after two days in custody on charges of attempting to receive a 35,000 euro ($46,000) bribe from a would-be student seeking fast-track entry. Protesting the decision, Nina Ostanina, a State Duma deputy for the Communist Party, said that she believed Surina was released because Duma Deputy Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, a senior leader in United Russia and a professor at the school of government, intervened on her behalf. Additionally, the Moscow branch of the Investigative Committee said that it disagreed with the central district prosecutor's office, which announced that it was dropping the charges.