5 Apr 2022 13:47

Navalny appeals sentence in fraud, contempt of court case

MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny has appealed his sentence in the case of fraud and contempt of court, the press service of Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court told Interfax.

"Navalny has appealed the sentence handed down by the Lefortovsky District Court on March 22, 2022," the press service said.

On March 22, the Lefortovsky District Court sentenced Navalny to nine years in a high-security penitentiary, having found him guilty on four counts of fraud conspiracy and contempt of court.

Besides, a 1.2-million-ruble fine was imposed on Navalny.

Navalny pleaded not guilty and said that the actions he had been accused of constituted normal political activity.

Back in 2021, Navalny was indicted on counts of the establishment of an extremist network and an organization trampling upon personality and rights of citizens.

He is now serving three and a half years consistent with the judgement passed by Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court in 2014 in the so-called Yves Rocher case.

The suspended sentence given to Navalny in the Yves Rocher case was replaced with real jail time at the beginning of January 2021, immediately after Navalny's return from Germany, where he was treated for presumed poisoning. That was done at the insistence of the Federal Penitentiary Service due to the opposition activist's repeated violations of restrictions and obligations.

In January 2022, Navalny was added to the list of entities and individuals involved in terrorist and extremist activities.