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A verdict is announced against one of the former top-managers of Mezhprombank

The evidence collected by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation was recognized as sufficient by the court for sentencing Ms. Marina Illarionova, former acting chairman of the executive directorate of CJSC "Mezhdunarodniy Promyshlenniy Bank" (International Industrial Bank). She was found guilty of committing a crime prescribed in Part 2, Article 201 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (the abuse of power by a person performing managerial functions in a commercial organization contrary to the legitimate interests of this organization and in order to derive benefits and advantages for oneself or other persons, entailing grave consequences, committed by an organized group).

The investigation and the court identified that in 2008-2009, Mr. Sergei Pugachev, being a member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, organized a criminal group, which involved Ms. Marina Illarionova, Acting Chairman of the Executive Directorate of the International Industrial Bank, in 2010. The criminal group was operated by Mr. Pugachev, in 2008-2009 he organized the theft of the bank's funds, by organizing the issuance of knowingly bad loans to companies controlled by Mr. Pugachev, in the amount of more than 64 billion rubles in June 2009. In order to create the appearance of legitimacy to his actions, Mr. Pugachev, as collateral for loans issued, pledged to the bank the shares of a foreign company owned by him worth more than 77 billion rubles.

Ms. Illarionova's role was to unlawfully withdraw the pledge on the mentioned above shares and terminate the pledge agreements in August 2010. As a result, the bank lost the opportunity to foreclose on them in order to recover loan debt on previously issued loans to companies controlled by Mr. Pugachev.

Since 2016, Ms. Illarionova has been on the wanted list, in September 2020, as a result of search activities carried out by the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Enforcement Directorate of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow, she was detained and placed in custody.

By a verdict Ms. Illarionova was sentenced to four years in prison to be served in a general regime penal colony.

Earlier, the court convicted the members of the criminal group headed by Mr.Pugachev, the chairman of the executive directorate of the International Industrial Bank, Mr. Alexander Didenko and Mr. Dmitry Amunets, General Director of CJSC OPK Development, for embezzlement of funds of CJSC International Industrial Bank in accordance with Article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (misappropriation or embezzlement).

Currently, Mr. Sergei Pugachev is put on the international wanted list, accused of committing crimes in accordance with Part 3, Article 33, Part 4, Article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Part 3, Article 33, Part 2, Article 201 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He is imposed a pre-trial restraint as custody in absentia.