Moscow court sentences ex-Russian defence minister to 13 years for embezzlement

The Moscow City Court has sentenced former Deputy Defense Minister of Russia Timur Ivanov to 13 years in prison over embezzlement related to the purchase of ferries for Crimea and the laundering of funds from the "Interkommerts" bank.

In addition to the prison term, Ivanov was fined 100 million roubles (roughly $1.11 million) and stripped of his state awards, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Alongside Ivanov, his former subordinate Anton Filatov, ex-CEO of the Ministry of Defence subsidiary "Oboronlogistika" LLC, was also convicted and sentenced to 12.5 years in prison. The prosecution had previously requested a sentence of 14.5 years for Ivanov and 14 years for Filatov.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty. They faced charges on two counts: embezzlement by appropriation of funds (Part 4, Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code) and laundering of criminal proceeds by an organised group in especially large amounts (Paragraphs “a” and “b,” Article 174.1 of the Russian Criminal Code).

By Khagan Isayev