Russian court sentences ex-Khabarovsk Governor Furgal to 22 years in high-security penitentiary

KRASNOGORSK, Moscow region. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Lyubertsy District Court in the Moscow region has finalized the jury's verdict and sentenced former Khabarovsk Governor Sergei Furgal to 22 years in a high-security penitentiary in a murder case, an Interfax correspondent said in a report.

"To hand down the final sentence to Furgal: 22 years in a high-security penitentiary," Presiding Judge Gennady Tsoi said at a hearing at the Moscow Regional Court on Friday.

The other three defendants in the Furgal case - Marat Kadyrov, Andrei Palei and Andrei Karepov - were sentenced to 21, 17 and 9.5 years in a high-security penitentiary, respectively.

The court ordered that all convicts stay in custody until the sentence takes effect.

A claim for over 1.1 billion rubles in compensation for moral damage, filed by the victims' families, was referred to a civil court.

Depending on their role, the defendants were found guilty of a conspiracy for assassination by a socially dangerous method, a murder conspiracy aimed to conceal another crime, and illegal possession of arms.

The court dropped illegal arms trafficking charges against Furgal due to the expiry of the statute of limitations.

Furgal and the other defendants shouted in indignation when the sentence was pronounced.

Furgal's defense said afterwards that the sentence would be appealed.

The jury found all four defendants guilty.

The jurors pronounced their verdict on February 2. They said that Furgal's culpability in two murders, an attempted murder, and arms trafficking had been proven.

The jurors said that Furgal did not deserve leniency on either count.