The governor of Russia's far eastern Sakhalin island region and several of his close aides have been detained and sent for investigation to Moscow, a source in the law enforcement agencies said on Wednesday.
Alexander Khoroshavin, 55, who has been the governor of the island region since 2007, was arrested on Tuesday, Tass news agency reported.
Media reports said a search operation at the government building lasted until early Wednesday and involved the governor's deputies, aides and the secretarial staff.
According to one version, the investigation has been launched as part of a criminal case opened against the governor's advisor and president of the Sakhalin football club, Andrei Ikramov.
Ikramov and the head of the secretariat, Vyacheslav Gorbachev, are among those detained.
