The Perm regional court has opened a criminal case against a man suspected of making bogus calls to judges and asking them to make "the right decisions."
The man called the city's district court and claimed to be the deputy chairman from the regional court. He made illegal demands of judges with the intention of influencing the outcome of cases, Grani.ru reported Tuesday.
Although nearly all of the judges were hoodwinked by the phony caller, one was sharp enough to pass on information about the calls to the authorities, who ordered an investigation.
The Federal Court Marshals Service and the Federal Security Service managed to work out who the man is after pinpointing his location to the Dobryansky district.
It turned out that the impersonator had been paid to sway judges by a man whose case is currently under examination.
The caller was able to trick the judges thanks to his good acting skills, his ability to change his voice, and his understanding of legal terminology, an unidentified law enforcement officer told Znak.com.
The officer said that the judges could be called to give evidence as witnesses, adding that a number of earlier rulings could be reviewed if there is a possibility they were affected by the caller's interventions.
The suspect, charged with obstructing justice, faces up to four years in prison if convicted.