Penza Oktyabrsky District Court, acting on a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office, ordered the recovery of more than 8.1 billion rubles from key figures connected to the Penza region. Among those affected were former regional head Ivan Belozertsev and former senator Boris Shpigel, along with several other defendants. The action was officially reported by TASS, underscoring the scale of the civil recovery measures tied to a long-running corruption investigation. The court’s decision highlights the ongoing pursuit of restitution in high-profile cases and signals a broader commitment to financial accountability for public officials in the region, as documented by multiple sources and authorities. [Source: TASS]
In a related development, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation’s arguments were, in part, upheld by Judge Ekaterina Shmonina. The ruling confirmed the recovery of 8 billion 158 million rubles, reinforcing the state’s stance on recovering proceeds tied to unlawful activities. This decision comes amid ongoing legal proceedings that have kept the Penza affairs in the public eye and demonstrates the judiciary’s role in upholding anti-corruption measures. [Source: Deputy Prosecutor General’s Office]
On another front, Moscow’s Izmailovsky District Court recently handed down a 12-year prison term to Ivan Belozertsev, the former governor of the Penza region, for bribery. The sentence requires him to serve in a maximum security penal colony and imposes a fine exceeding 450 million rubles. Similarly, Boris Shpigel, former chairman of the board of directors of the Biotek group of companies and a former senator, received an 11-year term in a maximum security facility, along with a fine surpassing 450 million rubles. The rulings reflect the severity of penalties issued in major corruption cases and the ongoing enforcement of strict punishment for such offenses. [Source: Izmailovsky District Court]
Investigators from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced that the criminal case against Belozertsev and Shpigel had been completed. The period of alleged wrongdoing spanned from June 3, 2019, to September 29, 2020, during which the former regional head allegedly accepted bribes from the entrepreneur in cash and in-kind forms such as Swiss watches. The total value of these bribes was reported to exceed 30 million rubles, a figure that underscores the financial scale of the alleged corruption and the careful documentation involved in the case. The committee emphasized that the matter was thoroughly reviewed, with findings supported by witnesses and financial records. [Source: Investigative Committee]
The case also recalls prior investigations in which Belozertsev and others faced scrutiny for various governance concerns. Earlier reports noted that a deputy police chief from a Moscow district had faced related corruption charges, illustrating a broader pattern of investigations within law enforcement and regional leadership structures. The ongoing narrative in this matter reflects a persistent legal struggle to address corruption at multiple levels of authority and to pursue justice through the courts. [Source: Investigative Committee]