Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika has filed a petition to the State Duma with a request to strip the deputy from the LDPR, Ashot Yeghiazaryan of the parliamentary immunity; he is suspected of a large-scale fraud. If the MPs would not oppose the request of Mr Chaika, the Prosecutor's Office Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation will be able to bring criminal case against Mr. Yeghiazaryan. Deputies gave an appropriate consent of the head office Alexander Bastrykin last Friday. The decision whether to strip Ashot Yeghiazaryan of immunity or not will be made until November, 4.

Yesterday, Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika sent to the chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov, the petition with a request to consent to strip MP Ashot Yeghiazaryan of parliamentary immunity. According to Kommersant, "the reason was the same data as the data provided by Chairman of the Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (IC), Alexander Bastrykin in early October in order to ask deputies to allow the excitement of criminal case against Mr. Yeghiazaryan. Deputy’s colleagues gave it to the head of the IC on Friday.

Prosecutor General and his first Deputy, Alexander Bastrykin believe that the actions of the deputy contain signs of a crime under Part 4 of Art.159 of the Criminal Code ("Fraud in especially large size). Let us recall that those had been identified during the audit conducted by subordinates of Alexander Bastrykin. In particular, the IC suspects Mr. Yeghiazaryan of fraudulent activities against the former deputy head of Russian Federal Property Fund - Mikhail Ananiev, claiming that the MP has stolen his money amounting to more than 550 million rubles. It also suspects businessman Vitaly Smagin who has accused the deputy of stealing 20% stake in Centurion Alliance, worth over 1.5 billion rubles. Deputy Yeghiazaryan, who is now abroad, called all the allegations against him absurd, but still he does not intend to return to Russia, claiming that he and his friends are in danger at his homeland.

According to the article 20 of the Federal Law "On the Status of members of the Federation Council and the status of deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation", the members of parliament must give the answer to the Prosecutor General's petition within three days. In this case, as the head of the LDPR faction in the Duma Igor Lebedev believes, the request of the Prosecutor General will be supported by a majority vote like in the case of the Chairman of IC.