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Russian Official Fired Over Results of Lie Detector Test

The governor of Russia's southern republic of Ingushetia has fired a high-ranking official based on the results of a lie detector test, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.

Governor Yunus-Bek Yevkurov "considers honesty and professionalism to be the most important values for people who occupy posts highly prone to corruption," the report quoted a source in the governor's press service as saying.

Yevkurov had numerous times criticized the official, Zurab Malsagov, who chaired a regional committee on youth affairs, and the polygraph test's results were "the last straw," the unnamed source said.

"The governor's team has no room for officials primarily motivated by self-interest," the source said, without elaborating on the exact reason why Malsagov's test results were unsatisfactory.

Yevkurov wants all officials in Ingushetia to take lie detector tests. He took one himself last month to prove his sincerity, the source said, adding that so far about 20 officials in the republic have taken such tests.


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