The ruling United Russia party suspended the membership of Sakhalin Governor Alexander Khoroshavin over allegations that he accepted a multimillion-dollar bribe, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
The decision was made by the party's regional council, which voted 41-1 in favor of suspending Khoroshavin's membership pending trial, the report said.
The head of the party's regional branch, Alexander Kislitsyn, told the news agency that if Khoroshavin is found guilty he will be expelled from the party.
Khoroshavin, detained in his office last week for having allegedly accepted a $5.5 million kickback for a construction project, is in federal custody in Moscow and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Authorities have seized some $16.4 million in cash from several of his residences, including three apartments in Moscow and a nearby dacha.
