The Izmailovsky District Court of Moscow sentenced the former governor of the Penza region Ivan Belozertsev to 12 years in a maximum security colony in the case of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the press service of the Moscow courts.
The head of the BIOTEK group of pharmaceutical companies, Boris Shpigel, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Both he and Belozertsev were also fined 450 million rubles.
In addition to Shpigel and Belozertsev, the case involves Shpigel's wife Evgenia, director of the PHARMACYA company Anton Koloskov, as well as employees of the Penza region administration Gennady Markov and Fedor Fedotov. As a Vademecum correspondent reports from the courtroom, Evgenia Shpigel received 8.5 years in a general regime colony, Koloskov — 8.5 years in a strict regime colony, Markov and Fedorov — 7.5 years in a general regime colony.
Spouses Shpigel and Koloskov were found guilty of giving a particularly large bribe (Part 5 of Article 291 of the Criminal Code), and Markov and Fedotov were found guilty of mediation in bribery on a particularly large scale (Part 4 of Article 291.1 of the Criminal Code).
The state prosecution asked that Belozertsev be sentenced to 13 years in prison, Shpigel — 12 years, and the rest of the accused — from eight to 10 years in prison. The prosecutor also asked to fine Shpigel and Belozertsev in an amount that is 17 times the amount of the bribe.
Belozertsev was detained in March 2021. According to investigators, a year earlier, through Markov and Fedotov, he received more than 31 million rubles in bribes from Shpigel, his wife and Koloskov for assistance in obtaining government contracts in the region. The governor does not admit guilt.
President Vladimir Putin fired Belozertsev “due to loss of trust.” Later, the Investigative Committee accused the PEC chairwoman of fraud in the 2020 gubernatorial elections.