Ex-official to stand trial for contract murder of Ugra prosecutor

According to the UK, on the account of the former official of the Ministry of Finance Chekin, who has been hiding from the investigation for about 20 years, there is a whole series of seven serious crimes, including fraud, inducement to commit murder, inducement to illegally acquire weapons, encroachment on the life of a person conducting a preliminary investigation, and other acts.

The investigation believes that in 1993, while holding the position of chief controller-auditor of the Control and audit Department of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yuri Chekin stole more than 15 million rubles from a state construction company. When the prosecutor of Ugra, Yuri Bederin, suspected the official of fraud, Chekin decided to organize his murder.

In July 2000, the prosecutor was shot dead in the entrance of his house with three pistol shots. The investigation believes that in addition to the prosecutor, Chekin ordered the murders of two more people — his acquaintances Ruppel and Israilov.

After the murder of Prosecutor Bederin, Yuri Chekin was put on the international wanted list. He has been hiding from the investigation for more than 20 years. In 2021, the security forces learned that the suspect was living in voluntary imprisonment in a rented apartment in Khanty-Mansiysk on a USSR passport, not visiting public places for the sake of conspiracy.

In October 2021, Chekin was detained. A hiding place was found in his house in the windowsill, where an adult could fit if necessary.

During the investigation of the Chekin case, more than 1,000 investigative and procedural actions, hundreds of interrogations and many examinations were carried out. The volume of the criminal case was 88 volumes. The case has been referred to the court. Chekin faces up to life imprisonment.

As Kommersant notes, the accused did not admit guilt, and his defense intends to petition the court that the case be considered with the participation of a jury.