The court announced the charges in the corruption case against the brother of the head of Ingushetia.

The Cherkessk City Court has completed the reading of the indictment in the case of embezzlement of funds from the Pension Fund in Ingushetia. Twenty-seven of the 29 defendants pleaded not guilty, and the defense team for the accused women alleged "inhumane conditions" in the pretrial detention center. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in mid-December 2025, the criminal case of embezzlement of funds from the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, in which Magomed-Bashir Kalimatov is one of the defendants, was received by the Cherkessk City Court. At the end of January 2026, a court in Cherkessk extended the pretrial detention of 29 defendants in the embezzlement case until April 30.

The Cherkessk City Court continued hearings in the criminal case against 29 people accused of embezzling funds from the Russian Pension Fund. The reading of the indictment, which began at the February 12 hearing, concluded today, the joint press service of the courts of Karachay-Cherkessia reported on its Telegram channel.

The defendants' lawyers petitioned for relatives to be allowed to participate in the case as public defenders. The court granted this petition and allowed the family members of four defendants to be brought in as public defenders.

Twenty-seven of the 29 defendants pleaded not guilty at the hearing. When asked by the judge whether the charges were clear and whether they admitted guilt, they replied, "I don't understand. No, I don't." Among them were Magomed-Bashir Kalimatov and Kambulat Sukiyev, former heads of the Federal Postal Service Administration in Ingushetia, TASS reported.

Only defendant Ashat Bogatyreva fully pleaded guilty. Defendant Maryam Kuzgova stated that she partially pleads guilty.

Some lawyers called the charges vague, unfounded, and contradictory. The prosecutor, in turn, stated that the indictment "contains precise information about the identity of each defendant, and details the crime, including the location, time, and method of commission, as well as the motives."

Lawyers for the women accused in the embezzlement case stated that their clients are complaining of "inhumane conditions" in the Armavir pretrial detention center. They appealed for assistance to Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova and the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for Krasnodar Krai, Alexander Prosvernin. Among the accused are 16 women, 13 of whom are in pretrial detention, Fortanga reports.

"They are housed in the basement of the detention center, where there are no windows or ventilation. It is very damp, stuffy, and cold, with water running down the walls and the ceiling covered in mold. Many women's chronic illnesses have worsened," wrote lawyer Aminat Kalabekova in her appeal.

Lawyer Lev Glukhov stated that many of the accused women have already reached retirement age and that detention in the detention center "could end badly" for them. "There is simply no hot water in the cell and no basic hygiene products. Incidentally, the men involved in this case are being held in excellent conditions," the lawyer noted.

The Cherkessk City Court plans to hold hearings in the case twice a week. The next court hearings in the case are scheduled for February 19 and 20, 2026. The hearings are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Moscow time.