Extortion from the head of Rostec Chemezov: what is known about the case, the verdict, Sobchak’s reaction

The Khamovnichesky Court of Moscow issued a guilty verdict in a criminal case of extorting 11 million rubles from the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov. As the investigation and the court established, employees of the Telegram channels of journalist Ksenia Sobchak demanded this money for non-distribution of compromising materials about Chemezov.

Three defendants received sentences ranging from 7 to 7.5 years in a maximum security colony. At the same time, Sobchak herself has already called the sentence disproportionate.

Former colleagues of journalist Sobchak were found guilty of extortion

The Khamovnichesky Court of Moscow convicted the former commercial director of the Oztorozhno Media holding, Kirill Sukhanov, the editor-in-chief of Tatler magazine and the owner of the Telegram channel “Tushite Lights,” Arian Romanovsky (real name Kuzmin), as well as journalist Tamerlan Bigaev.

The court found that they entered into a conspiracy to extort money from the general director of the Rostec state corporation, Sergei Chemezov. The convicts demanded a total of 11 million rubles for the removal of compromising and discrediting information about Chemezov in the Telegram channel owned by Sobchak.

In addition, the extortionists promised not to disseminate this information for a year after receiving the money. As a result, the court sentenced Sukhanov to 7.5 years in prison, the rest received 7 years in a maximum security colony. The prosecutor asked for 7.5 to 8 years in prison for them.

Sukhanov partially admitted his guilt, Kuzmin and Bigaev completely denied their involvement in the crime.

Sobchak called the sentence unfair and disproportionate

After the verdict was announced, the lawyer of one of the defendants in the case, Dmitry Malutov, announced his intention to appeal the verdict in the Moscow City Court. At the same time, he revealed the role of Ksenia Sobchak herself in the extortion case.

Meanwhile, the journalist, who had previously spoken out in defense of her former colleagues, did not come to court to hear the verdict. Its absence she explained for some reason.

Despite her absence from the court, Sobchak immediately responded to the verdict against Sukhanov, Kuzmin and Bigaev, calling it disproportionate.

Meanwhile, a representative of Sergei Chemezov said RIA Newsthat Rostec asked the court to commute the sentences of those involved in the extortion case and take into account their apologies.

Journalist Sobchak apologized to the head of Rostec Chemezov

The scandal of extortion from the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, broke out in the fall of 2022, when Sukhanov, Kuzmin and Bigaev were detained. They were accused of committing a crime in which Chemezov became the victim.

The defendants testified that they followed the instructions of their boss, Ksenia Sobchak. After this, information appeared that the journalist became a suspect in the case.

At that moment, Sobchak left Russia, but returned a couple of weeks later, and the decision to involve her in the case as a suspect was canceled. On November 17, 2022, the journalist apologized to the head of Rostec. She added that Sukhanov, Kuzmin and Bigaev also sincerely regret what they did.