Russia’s Top Prosecutor Applies for Supreme Court Chief Justice Post

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Russia’s Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov has applied to become chief justice of the country’s Supreme Court, a position vacant since the death of the previous chief justice more than a month ago, Russian media reported on Monday.

The Russian Supreme Court’s top post opened late last month after Chief Justice Irina Podnosova died of cancer at age 71. Deputy Chief Justice Yuri Ivanenko has been serving as acting chief justice since then.

Monday marked the application deadline for the position of chief justice, according to the high qualification board of judges. A qualifying exam, scheduled for last Thursday, was reportedly postponed due to a lack of candidates, according to the newspaper Vedomosti.

Vedomosti previously cited five anonymous

Krasnov, 49, has led the Prosecutor General’s Office since January 2020. Last Friday, President Vladimir Putin awarded him the title of Honored Lawyer of Russia.

He previously served as Bastrykin’s deputy at the Investigative Committee starting in 2016. Krasnov served as chief investigator in the probe into the 2015 murder of opposition activist Boris Nemtsov, and more recently, he has overseen Russia’s growing nationalization of private assets.

Candidates for Russia’s Supreme Court chief justice are nominated

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