A Moscow court on Tuesday remanded a former university rector and regional lawmaker in custody on charges of murder more than two decades ago.
Ilshat Gafurov, 60, headed the republic of Tatarstan’s Kazan Federal University from 2010 until his detention and transfer to Moscow in December 2021.
He is suspected of ordering the assassination of a local lawmaker while serving as a mayor in 1999, according to Tatarstan’s Business Online news website.
Gafurov denies his guilt.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ruled Tuesday to extend Gafurov’s pretrial detention until Oct. 25, Business Online reported.
If found guilty, Gafurov faces up to 20 years or life in prison.