Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency:  Newsflash

A famous Russian lawyer has been found dead by her father after the publication of a video claiming she paid off a court official during her murder trial four years ago.

According to the news site Samara Bezformata, Ekaterina Sokirskaya, 32, was found dead in her flat on Sadovaya Street in the city of Samara in the Russian federal subject of the same name on 3rd July.

She is better known as Ekaterina Puzikova, the widow of Dmitry Puzikov, deputy head of the local branch of Rosselkhozbank, who died in March 2012 after a party at his house.

In April 2013, an examination established that he was poisoned with thallium. The banker’s wife, Ekaterina, was suspected of committing the crime and she was subsequently charged with murder.

After a long trial and appeal process, the court found Ekaterina not guilty and acquitted her on 31st October 2017.

Ekaterina later announced that she was marrying Alexei Ryaskov, 44, president of the Samara Region Professional Kickboxing Federation in November 2017. However, according to the news site Kommersant, the marriage recently ended in divorce.

Ryaskov, posted a video statement on social media on 2nd July claiming that he, together with Ekaterina’s parents, transferred RUB 15 million (GBP 147,544) to a court employee for the acquittal of Ekaterina in the previous murder case.

Lawyer Andrei Karnomazov, who defended Ekaterina in court several years earlier, said her death may be associated with the video but it was too early to say for sure.

The news site Life said the police will visit Ryaskov and quiz him over the incident.

The investigation is ongoing.