Tatarstan Justice Minister Resigns

KAZAN, Russia -- The justice minister of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan has resigned amid reports of his son's alleged involvement in dubious business deals.

Tatar media reported on November 7 that Tatar President Rustam Minnikhanov had accepted Midkhat Kormanov's resignation.

The reports come a week after Tatarstan's new prosecutor-general, Ildus Nafikov, told journalists that Kormanov's son, Ildar Kormanov, 33, is suspected of taking a bribe of 47 million rubles ($1,466,000) from a French home-improvement retailer, Leroy Merlin.

The bribe was allegedly in exchange for arranging the utilities for a new store in Kazan.

An energy company established by Ildar Kormanov's mother and father-in-law was allegedly involved in the deal.

With reporting by tatpress.ru