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Petersburg court to announce verdict for the criminal leader accused of extortion

The prosecutor demanded for the defendant to be sentenced to 18 years in a maximum security penitentiary, the defense insisted on acquittal

MOSCOW, March 6 (Itar-Tass) — On Tuesday St. Petersburg's Kuibyshev district court will hand down a verdict for the criminal leader Vladimir Barsukov /Kumarin/, accused of extortion. The trial was held at the Moscow City Court during visiting sessions.

During the arguments of the parties, the prosecutor demanded for the defendant to be sentenced to 18 years in a maximum security penitentiary.

The defense insisted on acquittal. Barsukov stated at the court that regardless of the prison term to be meted out to him, he would be unable to serve it due to his poor health.

In November 2009, Petersburg's Kuibyshev district court found Barsukov guilty of fraud and legalization of illegally acquired property. He was sentenced to 14 years in jail a one-million-rouble fine for hostile takeover of buildings in St Petersburg.

The St. Petersburg City Court upheld the verdict in March 2010.

The investigators said that in 2005 through to 2006 Barsukov and lawyer Dmitry Rafalovich, as members of an organized group, were extorting monthly payments from a businessman, Pavel Orlov, threatening him with illegal seizure of the building of the Yelizarovsky trade centre and creating conditions for the victim that made further commercial activities in St. Petersburg impossible. They acted in collusion with Vyacheslav Eneyev, who had a criminal record.

According to the investigators, they received at least 7.4 million roubles from Orlov.

After murdering the businessman in 2006, Barsukov "continued to export money from his successors, his mother and sister, threatening them with murder."

"As a result of illegitimate actions, the accused received more than 21 million roubles from the injured parties," an Investigative Committee representative said.

Barsukov was arrested in August 2007 and has been kept in a Moscow pre-trial detention centre since.

On August 1, 2008, the Prosecutor General's Office sent to the Vasilyevsky Ostrov district court of St. Petersburg the first case over hostile takeovers of companies and property in St. Petersburg in 2004-2006, by an organized group led by Barsukov (Kumarin).

According to the investigators, the businessman and his accomplices stole property and stakes in the authorized capital of the companies Pushkinskaya (which owns the Petersburgsky Ugolok restaurant) and the Magazin Smolninsky shop.

The gang members concluded several fictitious sale/purchase contracts, to prevent the legitimate owners from recovering the stolen property. Next, they re-registered property rights to their accomplices.

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