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Emergencies Ministry’s regional office deputy chief sentenced for corruption

Vladimir Yermakov got a suspended sentence of 6 years in prison with a probation period of 5 years for bribery and abuse of office

ULAN UDE, August 25 (Itar-Tass) —— A verdict has been handed down in a high-profile corruption case involving officials from the regional branch of the Emergencies Ministry in Buryatia.

The branch’s Deputy Head Vladimir Yermakov got a suspended sentence of 6 years in prison with a probation period of 5 years for bribery and abuse of office.

“Yermakov has been forbidden to hold senior positions for 5 years. His car worth 450,000 roubles has been seized and 1.5 million roubles were withdrawn from his wife’s bank account in favour of the the state,” the court press service told Itar-Tass.

The case was examined using a special procedure after Yermakov had made a deal with justice. His lawyer said, “The verdict will most likely not be appealed because the defendant considers it lawful and fair”.

“The investigation and court found that Yermakov, acting as a member of a criminal group, together with the head of the Emergencies Ministry’s Main Department, Vyacheslav Korolkov, and its chief accountant Lyubov Izamailova, awarded large bonuses ranging from 13,000 to 275,000 roubles to his subordinates. The members of the criminal group demanded that the employees return the biggest portion of the bonuses, citing the need to buy office equipment and meet hospitality expenses for visiting commissions. The bonuses of some employees were taken away due to alleged accounting errors. The money thus collected was distributed among Yermakov and two other members of the criminal group. As a result, they acquired the money of 60 subordinates to a total amount of more than 14 million roubles,” the regional Investigation Department of the Russian Investigation Committee said.

The first court hearing in the case of chief accountant Lyubov Izmailova will take place on September 5. The trial of Vyacheslav Korolkov has been postponed as he has been in hospital since August 16. Both have also made a deal with justice.

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