Prosecutors in southern Russia have filed a court claim to seize assets worth one billion rubles from former regional deputy police chief Vitaly Chentsov.
The anti-corruption lawsuit, which seeks to turn the disputed property over to the state, was submitted by the Prosecutor's Office of Stavropol Krai, according to a report by the Russian news agency Interfax.
Authorities identified undeclared real estate, proceeds from property sales, and vehicles connected to the former official. Prosecutors stated that Chentsov possessed the wealth either personally or through relatives and other intermediaries, maintaining that he could not have acquired such holdings on his legitimate earnings.
Chentsov served as deputy head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Stavropol Krai between 2013 and 2021. The Promyshlenny District Court in the regional capital of Stavropol is scheduled to consider the civil forfeiture case, with a preliminary hearing set for November 2.
Stavropol police corruption case
Stavropol Krai is an administrative territory situated in the North Caucasus region of southwestern Russia. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, known nationally by its Russian abbreviation MVD, operates as the country's civilian policing and domestic security service, giving regional deputy chiefs wide administrative authority over local law enforcement operations.
Under Russian civil forfeiture law, state prosecutors frequently petition regional courts to confiscate high-value assets from government and police personnel who cannot substantiate that their property was purchased using legal income.
The legal action against Chentsov follows a similar asset forfeiture claim brought in the Russian Far East. In that case, prosecutors filed a claim in the Pervorechensky District Court of Vladivostok seeking to seize property and financial assets worth more than 85 million rubles from a former department head in the Far Eastern Customs directorate.
The Vladivostok lawsuit targeted a former customs official in a major Pacific port city, reflecting a wider application of asset forfeiture measures against former law enforcement figures across the country. The Promyshlenny District Court in Stavropol will begin its review of the claim against Chentsov when preliminary proceedings open on November 2.
