Russia sentences former defence official to prison over power abuse

A former adviser in the Department of Property Relations at Russia’s Defence Ministry has been sentenced to four years in prison for abuse of office, the country’s Investigative Committee (IC) said on August 4.

Sergei Pastukhov, who previously served as deputy head of the division overseeing the redistribution of property between public legal entities, was found guilty under Part 3 of Article 285 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which covers abuse of official powers resulting in serious consequences, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

“The evidence collected by the IC’s Main Military Investigative Directorate was deemed sufficient by the court to deliver a guilty verdict,” the committee said in a statement.

Pastukhov will serve his sentence in a general-regime penal colony and is barred from holding public office for two years after his release, the court ruled.

By Aghakazim Guliyev