Putin dismisses Gov. Khoroshavin for loss of trust after bribery charge

MOSCOW, March 25 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin removed Sakhalin Region Gov. Alexander Khoroshavin from office due to loss of trust after he was charged with bribery.

Khoroshavin was arrested in early March for allegedly accepting a $5.6 million bribe for awarding a construction contract for a thermal power plant. He may face up to 15 years imprisonment.

Oleg Kozhemyako resigned as governor of the Amur Oblast region of Russia and was appointed acting head of Sakhalin, a key oil and gas region.

"Unseat Alexander Vadimovich Khoroshavin from the position of governor of the Sakhalin Region on the grounds of the loss of trust by the president of the Russian Federation," the Kremlin said in a release.

Russian investigators said that about $17 million was found at Khoroshavin's apartment, including large amounts of jewelry and a pen worth about $600,000.