The former deputy governor of central Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, Oleg Chemezov, has been detained as part of a sweeping investigation into corruption surrounding local utility companies, the Interfax news agency reported Monday, citing his lawyer. Sverdlovsk region Governor Denis Pasler dismissed Chemezov, who had served as deputy governor in charge of political affairs since December 2021, last Thursday. Local media reported that the fraud case is partly based on testimony by former regional housing minister Nikolai Smirnov, who claimed to be acting under Chemezov’s and others’ instructions, according to local media, and confirmed by a source to business daily RBC. Chemezov’s ex-wife Irina Chemezova is under house arrest until Nov. 1 as part of a fraud case. It was not immediately clear whether these are separate or a single fraud investigation.