Deputy Head of Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria Arrested in Absentia

The Supreme Court of Russia has arrested in absentia the former deputy chairman of the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria Murat Efendiyev in a case of fraud and money laundering.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" reported, in March the police put Efendiyev on the wanted list. In November 2024, the High Qualification Collegium of Judges (HQCJ), on the recommendation of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, gave its consent to initiate a criminal case.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has issued an arrest warrant in absentia for the former Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria Murat Efendiyev. "The court granted the claim for a preventive measure in the form of detention," RIA Novosti quotes the court's press service as saying.

“To choose a preventive measure against retired judge Efendiyev in the form of detention for a period of 2 months from the moment of his extradition or from the moment of his detention on the territory of the Russian Federation,” said presiding judge Oleg Zatelepin.

A representative of the Investigative Committee filed a motion with the court for the arrest in absentia of Efendiyev, accused of committing crimes under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud on an especially large scale) and Part 4 of Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (money laundering or other property), RAPSI reports.

Earlier, in November 2024, the HQCJ agreed to initiate a criminal case against Efendiyev, and in December terminated his powers due to his resignation. In March 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put Efendiyev on the interstate wanted list, and later on the international wanted list. Three days before sending the materials to the HQCJ, the retired judge took a vacation. Now, according to the Investigative Committee, Efendiyev is in Turkey.

During the hearing, the defense representative of the former judge, Evgeny Mindiev, stated that the investigation did not provide sufficient evidence of Efendiyev's illegal departure from Russia, since his client had the legal right to free movement. The second defense representative drew the court's attention to Efendiyev's previously stated position, who denied his involvement in the alleged acts, calling the accusations unfounded. Among the mitigating circumstances mentioned were the absence of a criminal record, health problems, and the presence of three minor children dependent on him.

The criminal case against the former judge is related to fraud during the construction of a hotel complex in 2015 on the territory of the Prielbrusye National Park. Another defendant in the case is the former deputy prosecutor of the republic, Azret Kadyrov, who was arrested in absentia by the Basmanny Court of Moscow on June 19. He was charged under similar articles. Later, on June 26, Kadyrov appealed this court decision, TASS reports. The defendants are also charged with money laundering in the amount of 31 million rubles.

In February 2024, the sister of prosecutor Azret Kadyrov, Larisa Kadyrova, was detained. She was listed as the owner of a plot of land in the Adyl-Su gorge, on which the construction of a multi-story hotel was planned. The Elbrus District Administration sold her a plot of land in the national park with an area of 6 thousand square meters in 2015 for 450 thousand rubles with a cadastral value of 8.4 million rubles, Kommersant clarifies.