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Russia’s former border agency head sentenced to 9 years in prison for fraud

In addition, the court sentenced other perpetrators of this criminal case to two to eight years behind bars

MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Moscow’s Meshchansky Court has sentenced former head of The Russian Federal Agency for State Border Infrastructure Development (Rosgranitsa) Dmitry Bezdelov to nine years in a general regime penal colony for embezzling almost 500 mln rubles ($ 8.5 mln) when developing the border infrastructure, TASS reports from the courtroom.

"To adjudge Bezdelov guilty and sentence him to nine years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony," judge Olesya Mendeleyeva said.

In addition, the court sentenced other perpetrators of this criminal case to two to eight years in a general regime colony. The court also rejected the civil suit of the affected party, leaving it for later study in the course of the civil law proceedings. The court explained that the civil suit will be studied only after the amount of damage is specified.

The court excluded from the indictment the article on the organization of a criminal network. "To exclude from the indictment on Bezdelov and other perpetrators Article 210 of the Russian Criminal Code ("The organization of a criminal network (criminal organization) or participation in it,")" the judge said.

Bezdelov was convicted under Article 210 and Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Fraud"). According to investigators, in 2009 Dmitry Bezdelov, head of the Directorate for Construction and Operation of Rosgranitsa Facilities Oleg Senkevich and head of Rosgranitsa’s administration for state border infrastructure development and checkpoints operation Danila Vavilov set up a criminal network in an attempt to embezzle the money bankrolled by the state for design, reconstruction, construction, outfitting and other development of state border checkpoints. After that, Bezdelov involved his deputy Boris Khaitovich in the criminal activity, as well as some Rosgranstroy top managers and the general directors of controlled commercial organizations.

From September 2009 to May 2013, the criminal network members embezzled and laundered budget funds of more than 490 mln rubles ($ 8.5 mln).

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