Ex-police officers in Golunov case sentenced to between 5 and 12 years in prison

On May 28, the Moscow City Court handed down sentences to the former police officers accused of fabricating a criminal case against Meduza correspondent Ivan Golunov.

Meduza’s correspondent reported from the courtroom that Igor Lyakhovets, the key figure involved in Ivan Golunov’s illegal arrest, was given a 12-year prison sentence. His former subordinates, Roman Feofanov, Maxim Umetbaev, and Akbar Sergaliev, were each sentenced to eight years in prison.

Denis Konovalov, who pleaded guilty, was given a five-year prison sentence. 

In addition, the defendants in the case have been stripped of their titles and are banned from holding positions in law enforcement agencies for a four-year period after their release from prison.

The court also satisfied a civil claim, ordering the recovery of 1 million rubles (about $13,600) from the defendants. 

The court allowed the time the defendants have already spent in pre-trial detention (since January 29, 2020) to count toward their prison sentences. 

Prosecutors had requested a 16-year prison sentence for Lyakhovets, 12 years each for Feofanov, Umetbaev, and Sergaliev, and seven years for Konovalov.

The former police officers were convicted of abuse of office, falsifying evidence, and drug trafficking. Aside from Konovalov, none of the defendants in the case fully pleaded guilty.