The State Duma has refused to dismiss self-exiled Deputy Ashot Yegiazaryan, who is wanted on fraud charges, and to deny him his monthly salary of 160,000 rubles ($5,100), saying the current legislation does not allow this, Vedomosti reported Thursday.
The legislature threw out a proposal to strip Yegiazaryan of his status for not attending Duma sessions, saying a law that regulates lawmakers’ work has no clause on firing slacker deputies, the report said.
But the Duma will revise the legislation during the spring session, Deputy Alexander Popov told RIA-Novosti on Thursday. Yegiazaryan, who lives in the United States, was stripped of parliamentary immunity by the Duma last month. He says the case against him is fabricated.
(MT)
