The Investigative Committee’s press service reports that a court has found a number of former officials from the prosecutor’s office of the Republic of Bashkortostan and several other defendants guilty of corruption-related crimes. The announcement was issued on the committee’s official Telegram channel, marking a decisive step in addressing abuses within the system.
As detailed by the agency, back in 2017, Oleg Gorbunov, who previously held the position of Deputy Prosecutor General of Bashkortostan, and Artur Sharetdinov, then Deputy Head of the Department for Supervision of Criminal Procedure and Investigative Activities, conspired with others to obtain a sum of 10 million rubles. The funds were allegedly intended to influence the decision not to pursue a criminal case against certain officials in the Ufa administration. This admission of intent and the subsequent evidentiary findings formed the crux of the charges and guided the court’s determination that the defendants acted with corrupt motives and in breach of legal duties. [Citation: Investigative Committee press service].
The court ruled that the evidence presented was substantial enough to support a guilty verdict on the charges laid out. Gorbunov received a sentence of 17 years in a strict regime penal colony, accompanied by a fine of 40 million rubles. Sharetdinov was sentenced to 8.5 years in a strict regime colony, along with a 20 million ruble fine. The penalties reflect the severity of the offenses, including attempts to obstruct justice and the manipulation of personnel decisions for personal gain. [Citation: Investigative Committee press service].
Another defendant, Ramil Garifullin, a former prosecutor for the city of Ufa, was found guilty of taking a bribe amounting to 3.5 million rubles. The case also charged him with involvement in coercion and bodily harm, and with failing to take proper steps to verify the legality and validity of a decision to refuse filing a criminal case. Garifullin’s role appeared to be that of an intermediary in exchange for salary and bribe arrangements. He received a 16-year sentence in a strict regime colony and a fine of 25 million rubles. [Citation: Investigative Committee press service].
The court noted that several other participants in the broader criminal proceedings received prison terms ranging from five to eight and a half years, with fines spanning eight to twenty million rubles. In addition to imprisonment and monetary penalties, the court imposed restrictions that barred convicts from holding public office for a specified period and stripped them of certain ranks. The overall outcome underscores the judiciary’s ongoing commitment to deterring corruption and enforcing accountability across public institutions. [Citation: Investigative Committee press service].
There is also a mention that two Moscow prosecutors, previously connected with the state security service, are under suspicion for attempting to secure a bribe of one million dollars, a case that remains under investigation and points to the broader vigilance against corruption within the security and legal services in the region. [Citation: Investigative Committee press service].