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In connection with the public discussion of the situation surrounding the release of Alexander Sytin from criminal liability for crimes against the sexual integrity of a minor, it is necessary to clarify the following.

The Investigative Committee of Russia was investigating a criminal case against Alexander Sytin, who was accused of committing violent acts of sexual nature against the minor daughter of his business partner in 2009, of fraudulently acquiring rights to the municipal health camp "Vostok" worth 228 million rubles between 2010-2013, of thefts from the recreation facility "Solovyinaya Roscha" in 2018, and of bribing officials from Rosreestr in 2018.

The suspect was charged with three counts of violent sexual acts, three counts of theft, and mediation in bribery.

In 2022, the criminal case was sent to the prosecutor's office to resolve the issues of approving the indictment with the goal of subsequently transferring it to court. The case materials contained a body of evidence linking Sytin to the aforementioned crimes. However, according to the Prosecutor of the Moscow Region A.V. Zabaturin and First Deputy Prosecutor General A.V. Razinkin, this evidence was insufficient. Taking into account the position of the prosecutor's office about the insufficiency of the evidence, the criminal prosecution of Sytin for violent sexual acts and theft was terminated. Thus, the procedural decisions dictated by the supervisory authority did not allow for an objective evaluation in court of the evidence collected by the investigation and failed to ensure the protection of the legal rights of the victim.

The criminal case was returned twice by the prosecutor's office for additional investigation. When it was returned the second time, deficiencies, which were not previously considered significant, were pointed out. All of this significantly extended the duration of the criminal proceedings. As a result, Sytin only appeared in court in August 2023, on charges of fraud and complicity in giving a bribe. In June 2024, he was convicted of bribery and sentenced to three years of imprisonment but was released in the courtroom. In the case of property fraud, the criminal prosecution of the defendant was terminated in court due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.