SAMARA, Russia -- The former mayor of the southwestern Russian city of Samara has been acquitted of criminal charges related to the illegal privatization of city property, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Vitaly Gorstkin, the head of the Samara region's investigative unit, told RFE/RL on July 20 that an investigation into former Mayor Georgy Limansky's activities did not find any wrongdoing.
Limansky, who was Samara mayor from 1997 to 2006, had been charged with illegal business deals and for privatizing municipal property.
The case was halted in April but restarted this month.
Limansky has said he may take part in local elections scheduled for October.