The Soviet District Court of Ulan-Ude has decided to extend the detention of former Buryatia Minister of Transport, Alexander Goga. Accused of abuse of power, he will remain in custody until October 3, 2025. This was announced on Friday via a statement published on the court`s official website.
The court`s decision followed the satisfaction of a request from the investigator of the FSB of Russia`s investigative department for the Republic of Buryatia to prolong Goga`s pre-trial detention.
It is noted that this court ruling has not yet entered into legal force.
Alexander Goga faces charges under clauses `g, e` of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The essence of the accusation is that, as an official, he undertook actions clearly exceeding his authority, which led to a significant violation of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and organizations, as well as the legally protected interests of society and the state. These actions are alleged to have been committed by a group of persons in prior conspiracy and for mercenary motives.
The former Buryatia Transport Minister was initially arrested by the Soviet District Court of Ulan-Ude on May 13 on similar charges of abuse of office. Goga denies his guilt. He is accused of lobbying the interests of Dorinvest LLC, which, according to the investigation, artificially inflated the price in an auction for the repair of the Ulan-Ude – Romanovka – Chita road. On the same day as his arrest, Alexander Goga was also dismissed from his position due to loss of trust.
The Head of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, previously stated that Goga`s detention is linked to the case of Vladimir Sosnin, the head of Buryatregionavtodor, who was also arrested for abuse of power.
In February 2025, a source within Buryatregionavtodor informed that Vladimir Sosnin, who leads the state institution responsible for the construction and maintenance of regional roads, had been detained. He was charged with abuse of official powers and taken into custody, with his pre-trial measure subsequently extended.
Alexei Tsydenov confirmed that the inspections at Buryatregionavtodor were initiated by the republic`s government. The Ministry of Finance of Buryatia conducted its own audit of the competitive procedures related to the repair of the Ulan-Ude – Romanovka – Chita road. This audit revealed violations, leading to a prohibition on concluding a contract with the proposed supplier.
Alexander Goga was appointed Minister for the Development of Transport, Energy, and Road Management of Buryatia on March 15, 2021.
