MOSCOW, June 22 (RAPSI) – Irina Khoroshavina, ex-spouse of former Sakhalin Governor who stands charged with large-scale embezzlement, has filed an appeal against forfeiture of his assets valued at 1.1 billion rubles (about $17 million), her lawyer Sergei Zhorin told RAPSI on Wednesday.

In May, a court in Yuzno-Sakhalinsk granted a lawsuit filed by prosecutors seeking confiscation of property owned by Khoroshavin, his wife and son.

Expensive apartments, fancy cars, money, jewelry were taken to the state based upon the facts of corruption established by investigation.

In August 2015, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office filed a motion with the Yuzno-Sakhalinsk court to confiscate the assets registered to Khoroshavin, his wife and son.

Last September, Irina Khoroshavina filed for divorce and division of property.

Investigators announced in March 2015 that Khoroshavin and several other officials were arrested for allegedly taking a $5.6 million bribe to secure a contract to build a power unit for the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk thermal plant.

In April 2015, Khoroshavin was charged in another criminal case with taking a bribe of at least 15 million rubles ($233,800) for providing credits on advantageous terms to one of the local businessmen. He pleaded not guilty.

In January, the third criminal case was opened against Khoroshavin. According to investigators, he took 27 million rubles ($420,800) in bribes from candidates for the positions in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Duma in 2014.

President Vladimir Putin dismissed Khoroshavin from his post due to “loss of trust” in March 2015.