FORMER MAYOR OF ST. PETERSBURG UNDER INVESTIGATION.

Anatoly Sobchak collapsed and was hospitalized on October 3 after being served notice by prosecutors in St. Petersburg that he is to be called as a material witness in a corruption investigation. Sobchak, who lost his post as mayor of Russia’s second city in an election last year, faces possible charges of corruption and abuse of office arising out of allegations that he accepted bribes in exchange for privatized apartments. He denies any wrongdoing, saying he has been framed by political enemies. Documents apparently implicating Sobchak in corruption were published last week by Novoya gazeta journalist Pavel Voshchanov, who was President Boris Yeltsin’s press secretary in 1991 at the time when Sobchak was also close to the president. (NTV, October 5)

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