Russian court sentences former senator to 10 years in prison for attempted murder of business partner
A Russian court has sentenced former senator Dmitry Savelyev to 10 years in a high-security penal colony for the attempted murder of his former business partner, Sergei Ionov, the independent Russian news outlet Mediazona reported on April 13.
Prosecutors said Savelyev arranged the killing over a dispute involving a stake in a company called Optomonitoring. At the time, Ionov was serving a prison sentence. Savelyev allegedly arranged through acquaintances to pay $100,000 for the killing. One of the people in the chain contacted Russia’s Federal Security Service.
Savelyev did not admit guilt.
Savelyev led the Russian state pipeline operator Transneft from 1998 to 1999, then served as a member of the lower house of Russia’s parliament for 17 years. He became a senator representing the Tula Region in 2016 and held that post until his arrest in August 2024. He was a member of the country’s ruling party, United Russia, and is under sanctions from the United States, the European Union, and other Western countries.
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