Former senator sentenced to 7 years in jail for embezzlements during construction of armaments factories in Venezuela
MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax) - Moscow's Lefortovo District Court has sentenced Sergei Popelnyukhov, former Russian senator representing the Belgorod region and former CEO of StroyInvestEngineering SU-848, to seven years in prison for embezzling about 1 billion rubles when working on construction of factories to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in Venezuela.
"The court has come to the conclusion that the guilt of the defendant is proven. Pronounce the defendant guilty of fraud. Order punishment for Popelnyukhov in the form of incarceration for seven years in a standard security penal colony," Judge Yelena Galikhanova said in her verdict announced on Monday.
Popelnyukhov was accused of major fraud. The former senator did not admit his guilt.
According to detectives, in the period from February 2010 through June 2011, Popelnyukhov embezzled by way of deceit, acting in an organized group, more than 1 billion rubles assigned by Rosoboronexport to build plants in Venezuela for licensed production of AK-103 rifles and ammunition.
