Andrei Marchenko remains in custody

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The defense of Kuban businessman Andrei Marchenko, a former business partner of Judge Viktor Momotov, was unable to appeal his arrest.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," businessman Andrei Marchenko, a co-defendant in the Prosecutor General's Office's lawsuit against the former head of the Council of Judges, Viktor Momotov, was arrested at the end of September last year in connection with a criminal fraud case. A few days later, his son, Ivan Marchenko, was also arrested. In January, Marchenko Sr. confessed.

The Krasnodar Regional Court left Andrei Marchenko in custody, rejecting an appeal against changing his preventive measure, Kommersant reported on February 20.

Marchenko's defense attempted to appeal the arrest last December, citing the fact that the businessman was already under a different preventive measure in a separate criminal case – in July of last year, the 235th Garrison Military Court placed him under house arrest until December 4. The court, however, dismissed the defense's appeal.

In October 2023, Marchenko signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense to participate in the Special Military Operations. However, as it turned out, he spent his entire service time in various regions of Russia and abroad. He was charged with desertion during an armed conflict (Part 3 of Article 338 of the Russian Criminal Code).

On September 23, the Prosecutor General's Office demanded that 97 properties registered to Andrey Marchenko, owner of the Marton hotel chain, and his son, Ivan Marchenko, be forfeited to the state. The Prosecutor General's Office's lawsuit states that Momotov was effectively a co-owner of the hotel chain registered to Marchenko, despite a ban on judges engaging in entrepreneurial activity. The lawsuit refers to Marchenko as a "Krasnodar criminal representative." A few days after the lawsuit was filed, Momotov resigned. On October 14, the court upheld the claim, ordering the seizure of the assets of Momotov, Andrey, and Ivan Marchenko for state benefit.