Russia police chief with gold toilet sacked for corruption

A Russian police chief who owned a ‘palatial’ home complete with its own gold toilet has been sacked for corruption.

Alexey Safonov, 45, a police colonel from Russia‘s Stavropol region, was busted along with 35 of his officers who were accused of running a ‘Mafia gang’.

Investigators say the ‘gang’ extorted motorists and took bribes to fund lavish lifestyles that included Safonov’s kitsch home.

The man with the golden bung: A Russian police colonel sacked for corruption had a lavishly decorated home including a golden toilet (right)

Alexey Safonov, 45, allegedly extorted motorists and took bribes – spending the money on kitsch including baroque mirrors, a double-ended bath, and bathroom chandelier

Anti-corruption investigators released images of Safonov’s home, including gilt wallpaper, heavy drape curtains, and an ornate bed

Even the kitchen featured a chandelier along with marble floors and baroque-patterned cupboards with gold detailing

Anti-corruption officers probing Safonov have released images of the property, complete with its gold-plated toilet, bidet and sink.

The floors and walls are tiled with marble, while a huge baroque-style mirror hangs in the background next to a bathroom cabinet that has been painted gold.

A second bathroom houses a double-end bathtub, his and hers sinks, and a gold-painted shower cubicle, while from the ceiling hangs a chandelier.

Safonov was sacked alongside 35 of his fellow officers and is now facing charges of corruption and abuse of power

The same style continues throughout the home – from the sweeping gold staircase to the ceiling frescoes, gilt wallpaper, ornate bed frame, drape curtains and works of art that adorn the walls.

The home even includes such luxuries as a sauna and billiards room.

Investigators say Safonov and his colleagues paid for such luxuries by extorting local motorists and selling passes for truck drivers to escape safety checks.

They also profited from the sale of ‘fancy number plates’. 

Local officials fired the gang en masse ahead of elections, which Putin’s United Russia party is hoping to win amid dipping support for the strongman leader. 

“A real mafia was operating in Stavropol region,” said MP Alexander Khinshtein, who is also a senior official in the ruling United Russia political party. 

Safonov and six members of the “criminal ring” including a current and former traffic inspector were arrested and will face charges which could lead to 15 years in jail.

A total of 80 searches found direct evidence of almost £200,000 recent bribes, as the investigation goes on, it was alleged.

He and other uniformed detainees were said to be running a “mafia operation” and living far beyond their salaries.   

A gran staircase in Safonov’s home sits alongside another chandelier with one of several ceiling frescoes visible in the background

Paintings adorn the walls while windows are framed by heavy drape curtains in Safanov’s hallway, which was discovered by anti-corruption cops

The home has marble tiling throughout, along with baroque detailing on ceilings, stair railings and the walls – all of it painted gold

Luxuries within the property include a billiards room (pictured) and sauna

Source: dailymail