Malkin applied for abnegating powers as member of Federation Council

Senator Vitaly Malkin filed an application for abnegating the powers as a member of the Federation Council on his own volition on Tuesday, Chairman of the Federation Council Regulations Committee Vadim Tyulpanov said at a meeting of the committee. “Senator Malkin filed an application for his early stepping down as a Federation Council member,” he said. Malkin set March 25 as a date for him to hand in his mandate of the senator. Malkin did not voice the official reason for his decision. Meanwhile, the Federation Council Committee for control over the authenticity of the income and property declarations of the senators is to consider Malkin’s case a little bit later on Tuesday at 13:00 Moscow time at its meeting. The Moskovsky Komsomolets daily has earlier made a request in the upper house of parliament, asking to check the information that the senator, who represents the Russian Republic of Buryatia, allegedly has dual citizenship of Russia and Israel. Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko pledged to conduct “an unbiased detailed investigation” in this information. “If these facts are confirmed, he is to quit the Federation Council and is to be recalled from the post of the senator,” she warned.