Nikite Belykh was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a new case

The state prosecution at the court in the criminal case of exceeding the powers requested 12 years of imprisonment for the former governor of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh, who is already serving a term in the second criminal case. This was reported by the prosecutor’s office of the Kirov region.

Belykh was detained in Moscow on June 24, 2016, when he was in the position of governor. In February 2018, the Presnensky Court of Moscow found him guilty of taking a bribe and sentenced him to eight years in a penal colony.

In July 2021, the Investigative Committee of Russia instituted a new criminal case against the Whites – on the article of exceeding their powers. According to the source, the governor, “acting out of personal interest”, allowed the budget Kirov regional mortgage corporation to lend 320 million rubles to one of the private companies. According to the investigation, the money was not returned.

As stated in the announcement of the prosecutor’s office, 12 years is requested “with the allowance of the sentence already served in the conditions of isolation in the correctional colony”, that is, apparently, we are talking about adding an additional four years to the eight-year term of imprisonment.

Belykh was not found guilty on either the first or the second case.

• In 2005–2008, Nikita Belykh headed the opposition party “Union of Right Forces”. In 2008, he was one of the founders of the United Democratic Movement “Solidarity”, but later left it. President Dmitry Medvedev appointed him governor of the Kirov region, Alexei Navalny worked as his adviser for a while (the first criminal case against Navalny – the “Kirovles case” – the “Kirovles case” is connected with his activities in Kirov). Belykh, giving testimony in court in 2013, did not speak about Navalny’s guilt). In June 2016, he was arrested on charges of accepting a large bribe. On July 28, 2016, he was dismissed from the post of governor. Nikita Belykh did not admit his guilt. He denied receiving a bribe, saying that the money given to him was intended to finance social projects in the city of Kirov and the region. Since June 2018, he has been serving time in a colony in the Ryazan region.