Former Deposit Insurance Agency head Andrei Melnikov gets 4.5 years in prison...

Former Deposit Insurance Agency head Andrei Melnikov was sentenced to 4.5 years in a penal colony in a case involving the theft of four billion rubles

Moscow's Presnensky Court sentenced former Deposit Insurance Agency head Andrei Melnikov to 4.5 years in prison and a fine of 900,000 rubles.

Melnikov was found guilty of fraud on an especially large scale. The court found that he stole four billion rubles through schemes involving the assets of the Aquamir water park in Novosibirsk, which was under DIA bankruptcy administration.

Melnikov admitted guilt during the proceedings, and his case was heard under a special procedure. Taking into account the time he spent in custody, he will be eligible to apply for parole as early as July 2027.

Melnikov was arrested in October 2025. His former deputy, Alexander Popelyukh, who was himself under investigation at the time, testified against him. On the day Melnikov was sentenced, Popelyukh himself received four years in a penal colony in a related case involving the theft of 200 million rubles.

@meduzalive