An appellate court in Russia has overturned a decision to reinstate the dismissed mayor of Ufa, Ratmir Mavliev, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday. The Fourth Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Nizhny Novgorod reviewed the lower court decision and rejected Mavliev's lawsuit seeking to return to his post.
The higher court ruling effectively leaves the official without his mayoral post following months of legal disputes between Mavliev and municipal authorities. The Supreme Court of Bashkiria had previously ordered Mavliev's reinstatement on August 11, but the ruling was quickly challenged by multiple parties to the lawsuit.
A total of five separate appeals were lodged against the August reinstatement order. The challenges were submitted by the Ufa prosecutor's office, the administration of the head of Bashkiria, and three other unnamed defendants involved in the case.
Arrest and Detention
The legal actions follow a criminal case that began in April, when law enforcement officers detained Mavliev directly at his workplace. Investigators charged the mayor with abuse of official power and accepting a bribe, and he was initially remanded in custody.
The detention status was subsequently modified in early May, when the Supreme Court of Bashkiria overturned the custody order and released the mayor under house arrest. Immediately after his release from custody, Mavliev was hospitalized with a suspected heart attack.
Contract Termination and Dismissal
While the court proceedings continued, local government authorities moved to formally end Mavliev's tenure in office. According to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the Ufa City Council officially terminated Mavliev's employment contract on July 14.
The city council cited the revocation of Mavliev's access to state secrets as a ground for ending his contract. Lawmakers also publicly accused the mayor of immoral behavior when voting to strip him of his position.
Ufa is the regional capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan in western Russia, a territory also known as Bashkiria. The Fourth Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Nizhny Novgorod serves as an appellate judicial body for regional court cases. TASS is a Russian state news agency, and Komsomolskaya Pravda is a national daily newspaper based in Moscow.
