2024-04-18 03:00:03
A former fellow student of Russian President Vladimir Putin, 70-year-old Irina Podnosova, was appointed as the president of the Supreme Court of Russia, DPA reported.
The Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) adopted the decision unanimously, the Interfax news agency reported today. The Kremlin nominated Podnosova for the position in early April.
Podnosova was born in 1953 in the northern city of Pskov. In 1975, she graduated from the Faculty of Law of Leningrad State University, now St. Petersburg State University, where she was a fellow student of Putin. She most recently held the position of Deputy President of the Supreme Court.
Putin’s critics express dissatisfaction with the widespread nepotism and favoritism through which the president maintains his power. Putin also introduced amendments to the constitution to protect himself from judicial investigations, DPA recalls. It is assumed that Podnosova will additionally guarantee that the judiciary will continue to act in the interests of the head of state, BTA reported.
Podnosova’s appointment takes effect immediately. She was elected for a six-year term and succeeds Vyacheslav Lebedev, who died in February this year at the age of 80 after holding the post for more than 30 years.