Businessman Sentenced for Bribery in Banking Sector

In Chelyabinsk, a court found a businessman guilty of giving a particularly large bribe (Part 5 of Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The criminal case was investigated by the Second Department for Investigating Especially Important Cases of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Chelyabinsk Region.

The investigation established that from March 2023 to January 2025, former bank employees received 14 million rubles (approximately $156,000 at current rates) from the convicted man. The money was transferred both in person and through intermediaries. In return, they facilitated the opening of a non-revolving credit line for 1.5 billion rubles (approximately $16.7 million at current rates) for the construction of a hotel complex, concealed negative information about the bribe giver and his two commercial organizations, and resolved problems that arose during the financing process.

The crime was uncovered by employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia for the Chelyabinsk Region, who also provided operational support for the case. To ensure the execution of the sentence, an investigator of the Investigative Committee seized the convicted man«s property worth over 5 million rubles (approximately $55,600 at current rates). The court sentenced him to 8 years in prison with a fine of 40 million rubles (approximately $444,000 at current rates), to be served in a strict-regime correctional colony. The seizure of property remains in effect.