Yakutia Supreme Court reduces sentence for official in subsidy embezzlement

The Supreme Court of Yakutia has reduced the sentence for the former head of the Agriculture Department of Verkhnevilyuysky District and one of his accomplices. The third was less fortunate — instead of a suspended sentence, he was given actual imprisonment. They stole over 10 million rubles (about $100,000 at current rates) from the budget. This was reported on January 29 in the Telegram channel of the Unified Press Service of the Courts.

The money was allocated as subsidies from the republican and local budgets for agricultural development. According to the investigation, the group misappropriated and stole the money fraudulently using their official positions. They also created dummy firms.

Previously, the Yakutsk City Court sentenced the former head to 7 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony, but now he will have to serve 5 years and 6 months. One of the accomplices was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment, now he will serve the sentence six months less, the third was unlucky — his suspended 5-year sentence was replaced with actual imprisonment of 4 years and 6 months.

Their sentences were reduced because the Supreme Court did not agree with the classification of some crimes. Previously, the men were charged with signs of a crime committed by an organized group, but the higher court decided that they simply acted as a group by prior conspiracy.