Top Russian judge wounded in shooting

The top judge on a Russian regional court has been wounded in an apparent assassination attempt, officials said today.

The Federal Investigative Committee said the chief judge of the Samara regional court was shot in the stomach as she got into her car this morning.

Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in a statement that the judge, Lyubov Drozdova, was hospitalised.

He said investigators were looking for suspects and trying to determine a motive in the attack.

Russia’s court system is plagued by corruption and political influence.

Campaigners have called for increased security for judges to make them less vulnerable to bribery, threats and pressure.

Samara is a major city on the Volga River about 550 miles south-east of Moscow.