on 15 january 2011, lakoba published an article in response to the russia’s state audit chamber's findings on violations concerning russian financial aid to abkhazia in the period of 2009-2010. lakoba accused the head of russia’s state audit chamber sergei stepashin of trying to paper over financial violations in abkhazia and to extenuate corruption within the abkhaz officialdom. lakoba said that stepashin was providing defense lawyer's services to the abkhaz authorities. "paid or not paid - its another issue," he said. on 21 january 2011, he was arrested in sukhumi after the prosecutor's office charged him of slandering stepashin. however, he was released the next day. since the russian state audit agency declared that it would not press charges, the prosecutor's office declared on 18 february that it had dropped the case.