MOSCOW, April 5 (RAPSI) – A court in Blagoveshchensk, a city in the Amur Region in the Russian Far East, has granted parole for the former city’s mayor Alexander Migulya convicted of abuse of power, the court’s spokesperson Alexander Voronin has told RAPSI.

However, a ban on holding senior positions imposed on Migulya has been upheld, Voronin said. The ruling has not become effective yet and may be appealed.

According to investigators, in 2008, Migulya abused his authority in case of selling a land plot to a firm “Ofenya”. As a result, the budget did not receive over 25 million rubles (over $400,000). The ex-mayor also used his position to indemnify another firm against rental payments worth 19 million rubles (over $300,000) for land property use. He was also charged with unlawful diversion of 46 million rubles (about $800,000) on purchase of municipal ownership of an automobile bridge.

In August 2016, Migulya was sentenced to 9 years in prison for abuse of authority and misuse of public funds. In 2017, his prison term was reduced to 7 years.