MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian court handed down a guilty verdict Thursday morning for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a Moscow mayoral candidate and vocal Kremlin critic, on embezzlement charges.
The court, in the city of Kirov, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) east of Moscow, found Navalny guilty of organizing the embezzlement of about $500,000 worth of lumber from state-owned company KirovLes.
It is not yet clear whether Navalny will receive a jail term or a suspended sentence. But the conviction, unless overturned upon appeal, will prevent him from running for public office.
Navalny, a whistle-blowing blogger well-known for leading mass protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, has denounced the charges as politically motivated.
Prosecutors earlier this month requested that Navaly get six years in prison and a fine of 1 million rubles ($30,000).
The only co-defendant in the trial, Pyotr Ofitserov, was also found guilty. A long-time acquaintance of Navalny’s, Ofitserov ran the Vyatka Timber Company and was accused of willingly buying KirovLes timber at below-market prices, thus taking part in the alleged embezzlement scheme. For Ofitserov, prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison sentence and a 1 million-ruble fine.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. Navalny’s supporters have pledged to hold a demonstration in downtown Moscow on Thursday evening.
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