Court seizes apartment and cars from convicted ex-judge's family

The Pervomaisky District Court of Krasnodar seized property from former chairman of the Rostov Regional Court Elena Zolotareva and her family members for state revenue. The lawsuit was filed by the Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia.

On April 3, 2023, in Rostov, the detention of Rostov judges suspected of corruption began. The first searches took place at Elena Zolotareva«s and her deputy Tatiana Yurova»s. They were arrested. Later, several more people from the judicial system were arrested. According to law enforcement, a scheme for issuing favorable court decisions was operating in the Rostov region. Elena Zolotareva was sentenced in late December 2025 to 15 years in a penal colony for taking bribes. She was also fined 170 million rubles (approximately $1.7 million at current rates). Yurova received 13 years and a fine of 120 million rubles (approximately $1.2 million at current rates). What other defendants received—read here.

The court received materials indicating that Zolotareva actually owns the apartment and cars purchased with corrupt money. But all this is registered in the name of her son Sergey Zolotarev and a trusted person—Maria Dankevich.

The court granted the lawsuit of the Deputy Prosecutor General and seized from the defendants an apartment, a parking space, a Toyota Land Cruiser, and a Toyota Alphard. That«s not all—also seized for state revenue were money and jewelry found during searches at Zolotareva»s home and workplace: 128.8 million rubles (approximately $1.29 million at current rates), 27.8 thousand euros, 11.7 thousand US dollars, and jewelry with a total value of 17.6 million rubles (approximately $176,000 at current rates).

In addition, 4 million rubles (approximately $40,000 at current rates) were recovered from the Zolotarevs—as the equivalent of the cost of another apartment that no longer belongs to them.