MOSCOW, November 14 (RAPSI, Nikita Shiryayev) – The Moscow City Court upheld a ruling to extend detention of Vyacheslav Gaizer, former head of Russia’s Komi Republic who stands charged large-scale embezzlement, the court’s press service told RAPSI on Tuesday.

Gaizer will stay jailed until December 19.

Investigators believe that a criminal gang involving Gaizer, another Komi Republic’s ex-head Vladimir Torlopov, ex-deputy head Alexander Chernov, and several businessmen, was organized in 2006.

According to investigation, the gang leaders and members committed crimes aimed at occupation of the region’s highly profitable enterprises or instituting control over them for the purposes of unlawful enrichment. They allegedly caused a 3.5-billion-ruble damage to the republic.

Investigators also accuse the gang members of taking bribes totaling to 160 million rubles in 2013. Moreover, Gaizer himself received 37.5 million rubles in bribes for assignment of a person identified by investigators to the post of the Syktyvkar liquor producer’s director.

Currently, ex-Deputy Chairman of the Komi government Konstantin Romadanov, ex-Chairman of the Republican State Council Igor Kovzel, ex-deputy head of the republic Alexander Chernov, and several other defendants are in detention.