The public prosecution bodies of Ural Federal District completed the investigation of a case that involved abuse of power and large-scale embezzlement by two officers of justice of Sverdlovsk Region Service. The inquiry revealed that Alexei Parfenov and Alexei Belyi had for a number of years been using their position to forge fictitious financial records and to have money illegally transferred into their friends and relatives’ accounts in the local banks. They used to cash the money through ATMs and thus stole more than 1 million RUR.

In the course of the investigation, they were fired, arrested, and accused of large-scale organized fraud and abuse of power on the basis of thirty instances.

The case was considered by the court on April 3, 2007. In compliance with the prosecutor’s demand, the accused were found guilty; Mr. Parfenov was sentenced to six years in prison, Mr. Belyi to five and a half years. Both of them will also have to pay a 900,000 RUR fine.