MOSCOW, November 15 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision to extend detention of the former governor of Russia’s Mari El Republic Leonid Markelov charged with corruption, the court’s press service told RAPSI.

Markelov will remain in jail until January 13.

In early October, the defendant’s attorney Igor Trunov told RAPSI that Markelov had complained to the Presidential Council of Human Rights about his detention conditions. 

Moreover, he has filed a complaint against torture custodial circumstances, health problems and impossibility to communicate with family members with the Prosecutor General’s Office. The former official has also reported moral pressure put by investigators to extract a confession, according to the lawyer.  The defendant is also going to lodge an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Trunov said. 

Investigators believe that Markelov has received a 235-million-ruble bribe (about $4 million) from the founder of Akashevskaya factory Nikolay Krivash for patronage and assistance in the property payment of funds provided by the state support for development of the agricultural complex. The bribe has been allegedly given through CEO of Telecompany 12 Region Natalya Kozhanova. The woman has been charged with mediation in bribery and also placed in detention.

Ex-governor is also a defendant in a case over unlawful possession of weapons, according to defense lawyer Sergey Sevruk. Moreover, he is reportedly involved in a case on abuse of authority.

Markelov pleads not guilty to all charges.