Former Russian Lawmaker Jailed In Starovoitova's Murder Case

Former Russian lawmaker Mikhail Glushchenko was charged with complicity in the 1998 murder of State Duma deputy Galina Starovoitova.

A former Russian lawmaker has been sentenced to 17 years in jail for his role in organizing the high-profile killing in 1998 of lawmaker Galina Starovoitova.

The ruling against Mikhail Glushschenko was handed down by a court in St. Petersburg on August 28.

In 2013, Glushchenko was charged with complicity in the murder of Starovoitova, a democratic reformer, and co-chair of the Democratic Russia party.

In March 2015, Glushchenko made a deal with investigators and claimed businessman Vladimir Barsukov ordered Starovoitova's killing after she blocked him from establishing ties with a number of corrupt city officials.

Starovoitova was shot dead in her apartment building in St. Petersburg on November 20, 1998.

In 2005, a St. Petersburg court sentenced two men to 20 and 23 1/2 years in jail for their roles in the assassination.

Barsukov was previously jailed on other charges unrelated to Starovoitova's killing but was later released from prison.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax