An investigation into the Moscow metro’s chief that resulted in prosecutors recommending his dismissal was opened at the request of former Mayor Yury Luzhkov, Kommersant reported Wednesday.
The Prosecutor General’s Office on Tuesday accused Dmitry Gayev, in office since 1995, of embezzling 112 million rubles ($3.6 million) and mismanaging the metro. Gayev has denied wrongdoing, Interfax reported.
Luzhkov sought the investigation after Gayev switched political allegiances, siding with the Kremlin when it began an attack on Luzhkov this summer, a source close to Luzhkov told Kommersant.
It said the new mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, remains undecided on whether to support Gayev.
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