Sergei Furgal was sentenced to 22 years in a colony

The former governor of the Khabarovsk Krai, Sergei Furgal, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. The court found him guilty of organizing contract killings. Furgal pleaded not guilty, considering his persecution to be political.

The verdict was handed down by the Moscow Regional Court in Lyubertsy. The jury found Furgal guilty of organizing an assassination attempt on three business competitors.

The first episode of the case deals with the murder of businessman Evgeny Zora in 2004. He was shot in the parking lot near his home. According to the investigation, the cause of the conflict between the businessmen was the building of the bankrupt ZhBY-2 plant, which they both claimed. In 2004, Furgal was already detained on suspicion of involvement in the crime, but was later released.

In the second episode, Furgal is accused of organizing an attempt on his business partner Oleg Bulatov. He was shot near his home in 2005. The investigation claimed that the businessman did not sell scrap metal to Furgal at a price convenient for him, and then tried to blackmail him.

In the third episode, Furgal was accused of organizing an unsuccessful attempt on businessman Alexander Smolsky in 2004. Two grenades were thrown at him in the village of Progress in the Amur region. The investigation confirmed that the businessman interfered with Furgal’s business in the village.

In addition, Furgal was suspected of organizing a criminal community and fraud, these cases will be considered separately. He faces up to 25 years in prison.

The court sentenced Furgal’s former assistant Andrey Karepov to 21 years in prison, Andrey Paley, accused of the murder of Evgeny Zora and Oleg Bulatov, to 17 years, and Marat Kadyrov, accused of the attempt on businessman Alexander Smolsky, to 9.5 years, reports Sibir.Realii.

• Furgal was detained by FSB special forces in Khabarovsk in July 2020 and immediately taken to Moscow. He became an accused in a criminal case after winning the gubernatorial elections in 2018. He defeated the Kremlin-backed candidate Vyacheslav Shprot. Before that, the politician was elected to the State Duma from the LDPR, he headed the Committee on Health Protection in the chamber.
• In support of the politician, numerous protest actions were held in Khabarovsk for several months. The participants demanded the release of the politician or at least his trial in the region, not in Moscow. Furgal denies guilt and claims that he was pressured by the investigation, and his family was threatened.
• Furgal commented on the jury’s decision in the courtroom with an exclamation of “Shame,” it follows from the recording of the “Sota” publication.