Thursday, 25 June 2009
A Moscow Region court on Thursday found fugitive Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky guilty in absentia of embezzling 140 million rubles ($4.5 mln) from the LogoVAZ auto dealer.
Investigators said Berezovsky was the mastermind behind an organized criminal group that embezzled the funds in 1994.
Berezovsky, who now lives in the U.K., and his accomplices then used the proceeds from illicit VAZ car sales to acquire stock in reputable companies, real estate, and for other personal needs in 1994, the court ruled.
Earlier this month, the prosecution demanded a 15-year prison term for Berezovsky. Sentence has not yet been passed.
Over a dozen criminal probes have been launched in Russia against Berezovsky, a one-time close associate of late president Boris Yeltsin, including plotting to stage a coup and embezzling $13 million from a leading Russian bank.
Russia has issued multiple warrants for Berezovsky's arrest and has repeatedly demanded his extradition from Britain, where he was granted political asylum in 2000.
Berezovsky was earlier sentenced in absentia to six years in prison for embezzling funds from Russia's flagship air carrier Aeroflot.
