Navalny was found guilty of heading a group that embezzled 16 million rubles ($500,000) worth of timber from state-owned company Kirovles in 2009 while he worked as an unpaid adviser to the provincial governor in Kirov, about 760 kilometers (470 miles) east of Moscow
That was the same year that Navalny, a lawyer, started an anti-corruption blog that attracted a wide following and propelled him into becoming a key opposition figure
It was Navalny who called the dominant United Russia party "the party of crooks and thieves," a phrase that became a rallying cry for the nascent opposition to Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin.
Judge Sergei Blinov did not immediately state the prison sentence. Under Russian court proceedings, full verdict readings can take several hours
While waiting for the sentence for him and co-defendant Pyotr Ofitserov — who was also found guilty of embezzlement — Navalny played with his smartphone and occasionally smiled sardonically
Russian opposition leader Navalny released Friday July 19,2013
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, left, and his former colleague Pyotr Ofitserov react as they were released in a courtroom in Kirov, Russia on Friday July 19,2013
A Russian court has released from custody opposition leader Alexei
Navalny less than 24 hours after convicting him of embezzlement and
sentencing him to five years in prison.
The release came after a surprise request by prosecutors, who said that
because Mr. Navalny is a candidate in the upcoming Moscow mayoral race
keeping him in custody would deny him his right to seek election.
The release is to extend until appeals of his conviction are completed
No comments:
Post a Comment