Two men sentenced over Magadan region governor's murder
MOSCOW. Aug 9 (Interfax) - The Moscow City Court has given a life sentence to Vladimir Golban and an eight-year prison term to Sergei Filippenko after the two men were found guilty by a jury of involvement in the murder of Magadan Region Governor Valentin Tsvetkov in 2002, an Interfax correspondent reported.
The jurors sought a life sentence for Golban and 15 years in a high-security prison for Filippenko.
Tsvetkov was shot dead outside the Magadan region's representative office in central Moscow on October 18, 2002.
In February 2011, the Moscow City Court convicted Alexander Anisimov, Martin Babakekhian, Alexander Zakharov and Masis Akhunts of involvement in the governor's killing and gave them sentences ranging from 13.5 years to 19 years in a high-security prison.
Investigators established that the four men formed a criminal group responsible for masterminding Tsvetkov's murder. Several more people joined the group later, including Primorye Territory residents, who were supposed to carry out the murder.
"Most members of the gang hid from the investigation and were subsequently found dead, including those who pulled the trigger. Police continue hunting other participants in the killing of the Magadan region's governor," the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said.