Former top managers of RAO Energy Systems of East have been given terms. But not all of them will serve them.
The Frunzensky District Court of Vladivostok recognized former First Deputy Director General of RAO Energy Systems (ES of East) Nina Zapryagaeva as a former financial director of this company. Nina Zapryagaeva, former financial director of the same company Alexei Yakovlev and former deputy general director for legal and corporate governance of Far East Energy Company Alexander Efremov were found guilty of involvement in embezzlement of almost 700 million rubles. The defendants received from seven to seven and a half years of general regime colony. In addition, the former top managers, who did not admit guilt, must jointly reimburse the damage caused to DEK in the amount of 420.9 million rubles. Only Alexander Efremov was taken into custody in the courtroom. On the eve of the verdict Alexei Yakovlev committed suicide, and Nina Zapryagaeva was put on the international wanted list.
On May 15 Judge of Frunzenski District Court Anastasia Surmenko announced the operative part of the verdict in the case of large-scale embezzlement in DEK. Former top managers of energy companies Nina Zapryagaeva, Alexei Yakovlev and Alexander Efremov were found guilty of aiding and abetting embezzlement on a particularly large scale (part 4, 5 of article 33, part 4 of article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Nina Zapryagaeva and Alexei Yakovlev were sentenced to seven and a half years in a general regime colony, Alexander Efremov – seven years in a general regime colony. All three must pay fines ranging from 700 thousand to 800 thousand rubles. During the debate of the parties, the state prosecution requested eight years of general regime colony and 900 thousand rubles in fines for the three defendants.
The court also satisfied the civil claim of DEK on joint recovery of 420.9 million rubles of damage to the company from the defendants. Until the execution of the court’s decision, their property will remain under arrest.
The court estimated the amount of arrested property of Alexei Yakovlev at 144 million rubles, Nina Zapryagaeva – 94 million rubles, Alexander Efremov – 6 million rubles.
Only Alexander Efremov, who was previously under a non-deportation order, was taken into custody in the courtroom. Apparently, he had no doubts about the outcome of the process and showed up at the announcement of the verdict with a large bag. Nina Zapryagaeva, who stopped appearing at the trial in March this year, is on an international wanted list. Alexei Yakovlev committed suicide on May 12.
“According to the investigation, in 2009-2015, Director General of PJSC DEK Viktor Milush, his deputies Elena Tyurina and Efremov together with Zapryagaeva and Yakovlev stole Rb 687m from the company by signing fictitious contracts. from the company by concluding fictitious contracts for services and charitable donations,” the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) reported.
“The ICR spoke about the amount of embezzlement in DEK as a whole by Milush and Tyurina between 2009 and 2015. But Zapryagaeva and Yakovlev were charged with incitement in the period from 2012 to 2015, and during this period, according to the investigation, 420.9 million rubles were stolen,” Sergey Tkachev, Nina Zapryagaeva’s lawyer, explained to Kommersant. He added that he intends to appeal the guilty verdict and seek the acquittal of his client. Attorneys for Alexei Yakovlev and Alexander Efremov did not answer Kommersant’s question about further defense actions.
Meanwhile, lawyer Konstantin Pakhomov, who represented Alexei Yakovlev during the first trial, told Kommersant that shortly before his death, the former top manager wrote an open letter in which he insisted on his innocence.
“I did not commit what I am charged with, I had nothing to do with it, my reputation is tarnished,” the document reads.
“In the same way it is impossible, in the presence of such evidence confirming my non-involvement in the embezzlement of Tyurina and Milush, to pack me up for something I did not do. And now it is done only because someone needs to prevent the destruction of the dosudeboks of Tyurina and Milush,” – Mr. Yakovlev was indignant. He had no doubt that the repeated trial would end with a guilty verdict.
As a reminder, in October 2020, former DEK CEO Viktor Milush was found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to two and a half years in a general regime colony. Ivan Blagodyr, ex-general director of PJSC RAO ES of East, received a four-year general regime colony for inciting Victor Milush to this crime. Deputy Viktor Milush’s deputy Elena Tyurina was sentenced to three years and two months of suspended imprisonment. All three pleaded guilty.
In December 2023, Frunzensky District Court acquitted Nina Zapryagaeva and Aleksei Yakovlev “due to their non-involvement in the commission of the crime”, while Alexander Efremov was found guilty of incitement to embezzlement on one episode and acquitted on another. He was sentenced to four years of imprisonment, but was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations on criminal liability.
In March 2024, the judicial board for criminal cases of the Primorsky Krai Court satisfied the appeal submission of the prosecutor’s office and canceled the sentence of the district court, sending the case for a new consideration.
Nina Zapryagaeva, Aleksey Yakovlev and Alexander Efremov insisted on innocence, claiming that the prosecution was based only on the testimony of Viktor Milush and Elena Tyurina.