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70 Fired Notaries Back at Work

About 70 Moscow notaries who lost their licenses in 2007 and 2008 amid a scandal over rigged state tenders for notary licenses are back at work, Vedomosti reported Thursday.

The notaries lost their licenses as a result of lawsuits by Inna Yermoshkina, a lawyer who complained that the licenses had been unfairly granted to the relatives of senior officials.

Yermoshkina took part in 18 tenders for licenses but never won one.

Among the notaries who lost their licenses were Alexander Pronin, son of former Moscow police chief Vladimir Pronin; Alexei Kuzovkov, son-in-law of Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu; and Irina Buksman, wife of First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman.

Among the notaries who are back at work is Galina Karlina, wife of former Deputy Justice Minister and current Altai Governor Alexander Karlin, Vedomosti reported, citing Karlin's 2009 income declaration.

New tenders have allowed 25 of the fired notaries to win back their licenses, and 40 others were able to continue their work because the Federal Registration Service, which was to oversee their removal, was closed, Federal Notary Chamber spokesman Alexander Latseiko told Vedomosti.

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