In Russia, opposition leader Alexei Navalny is sentenced to another nine years in a maximum-security prison

The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow sentenced opposition politician Alexei Navalny to 9 years in a maximum-security prison and a fine of RUB 1.2 million (over $11,000). He was found guilty in a new case of fraud and disrespect for the court.

This was reported by Meduza.

The prosecutorʼs office was asking for 13 years of jail for Navalny. The verdict was announced on March 23 at the court hearing in a colony in the Vladimir Oblast, where Navalny is already serving his sentence for the Yves Rocher case.

The fraud case was opened in late 2020. The Investigative Committee (Russian analog of prosecutorʼs office) stated that Navalny spent RUB 356 out of 588 million for personal purposes, which were transferred to various funds, including the Anti-Corruption Fund. The case of disrespect for the court appeared after the trial of Navalny on charges of slandering the war veteran in late May 2021. These two cases were later merged into one.

Navalny is in the jail already: on February 2, 2021 the court gave him 2 years and 8 months of jail in Yves Rocher case.