© Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev
Rauf Arashukov
Rauf Arashukov
The embattled senator tried to escape by running upstairs, but chairwoman Valentina Matveenko ordered him in an "icy voice" to return to his seat, the witnesses said. Arashukov, who represents the North Caucasus republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, was eventually detained by secret service officers.
The arrest took place after the Upper House ruled to strip Rauf Arashukov of his parliamentary immunity. Now the senator faces several charges including murder, corruption, and racketeering.
According to the Investigative committee, Arashukov has been charged with the murder of Circassian activist Aslan Zhukov, who was shot dead in March 2010 in the regional capital of Cherkessk, as well as the May 2010 murder of politician Fral Shebzukhov.
The senator became a suspect as the person who ordered the killing after one of the hitmen who carried out the crime turned himself in, in August last year, RBC news website reported. The suspected hitmen confessed they were paid 1 million roubles ($15,000) for Zhukov's murder and 500,000 ($7,500) to "intimidate and beat up" Shebzukhov.
The investigators have also recovered a fake travel pass, saying that Arashukov planned to leave for the UAE, where he had obtained a permanent residence. According to the Russian media, UAE authorities were investigating Arashukov for document forgery.
Rauf Arashukov, a son of a prominent businessman in the gas sector, was nominated by the local legislature in 2016 and sent to the Upper House to become the youngest representative at the age of 30.
Comment: Wouldn't it be nice to have the "top law enforcers" entering US Congress and arresting a whole raft of crooks and murderers there while simultaneously breaking down the Clinton and Obama doors to take them away. Russia is setting a GOOD example!