Troubled State Duma deputy Alexei Mitrofanov has been missing from the legislature for over three months, but it's alright, because he's been under the weather and lawmakers don't have a boss, he said in comments carried by the Russian News Service on Monday.
Mitrofonov made headlines this summer after being stripped of his legislative immunity based on accusations of extortion. A criminal case was then launched against him on suspicion that he had promised to help businessman Vyacheslav Zharov win a case in a Moscow commercial court in exchange for $200,000.
He left the country a few days later, citing unspecified health problems for which he planned to seek treatment abroad. Since then, he has not returned to Russia.
"A deputy does not have an employer," Mitrofanov said, according to the Russian News Service. "I do not have to show a sick note to anyone. Deputies do not live by the Labor Code. They live according to the law on the status of deputies. … Deputies plan their own days, their own commitments."
The lawmaker added that his health concerns will likely keep him away from Russia for the foreseeable future.
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