UPDATE - Detained Governor Of Russia's Khabarovsk Territory Refuses To Admit Guilt

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2020) Detained Governor of Russia's Khabarovsk Territory Sergey Furgal told members of the Public Monitoring Commission that he refuses to admit guilt.

Furgal was detained on Thursday as part of the probe into an organized criminal group involved in serious offenses against business people in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Amur region in 2004-2005. The Russian Investigative Committee has brought in charges of organizing murders and conducting an assassination attempt to the detained governor. Later, regional lawmakers Sergey Kuznetsov and Dmitry Kozlov were arrested on embezzlement charges. All three are members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

"Of course, I do not admit guilt, what is there to say?" Furgal said on late Thursday, as quoted by the RT broadcaster.

The detained governor stressed that he was shocked and outraged by what had happened to him.

Furgal reportedly added that he was not facing any pressure from investigators.

Executive Secretary of the Public Monitoring Commission told Sputnik that Furgal had been held in a two-men cell without a cellmate.

"He [Furgal] has been transported to the First Temporary Detention Facility of Moscow Department of the Russian Interior Ministry. He is in a two-men cell, without a cellmate," Alexey Melnikov said.

Furgal became the head of the Khabarovsk Territory in 2018, gaining nearly 70 percent of the vote in the second round of elections and beating then Governor from the United Russia ruling party Vyacheslav Shport. Before this, Furgal was a lawmaker of the State Duma of the fifth, sixth and seventh convocations.

LDPR head Vladimir Zhirinovsky expressed support for Furgal and warned that his party may leave the State Duma to protest the governor's detention. Over 17,000 people have also signed an online petition in support of Furgal.