MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. The prosecutor in the new case against blogger Alexey Navalny said at a court hearing that the defendant headed a conspiracy that sought to oust the government and steal donations that came to the accounts of entities that they controlled, according to a TASS reporter at the hearing.

"Navalny and other persons had self-serving and extremist intent when they stole donations to use for personal use," the prosecutor said at the hearing.

The prosecution intends to prove in court that Navalny committed 4 episodes of fraud when he managed the Anti-Corruption Foundation (designated as a foreign agent NGO and an extremist organization) and distributed funds that came to group’s account as donations. "Navalny and other persons created legal entities under their control, which, under the pretext of fighting corruption, carried out extremist activities," the prosecutor said.

The prosecution, based on the conclusions of the investigation, believes that the theft was carried out according to a premediated plan, and such public goals as Navalny's participation in the Russian presidential elections were only a cover for collecting donations and using them for personal gain and extremist activities.

As part of the new case, Navalny is accused of fraud and contempt of court during the trial in charges of slandering a veteran of the Great Patriotic War.

The criminal cases about fraud were initiated more than a year ago. According to investigators, Navalny stole about 350 million rubles that the Anti-Corruption Foundation received as donations.

Navalny received two suspended sentences and then was detained on January 17, 2021 after prosecutors said he repeatedly violated the terms of his suspended sentences. He was detained in the Sheremetyevo Airport after returning from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment, and on February 2 of the same year, the court replaced his suspended sentence with a prison term.