Mysterious case in Russia: Former economy minister sentenced to 8 years in re-education camp

Russia's former economic development minister said he will appeal the sentence and still believes he was wronged and framed for bribery.

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Former economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev stands behind the cage during his trial on the morning of December 15 - Photo: REUTERS

On December 15, a court in Moscow sentenced former Russian economic development minister Alexei Ulyukayev to eight years in a strict re-education camp and a fine of 130 million rubles (about $2.2 million) for accepting bribes. He also had all his houses, assets, and vehicles confiscated.

Judge Larissa Semionova accused Mr Ulyukayev of "taking bribes while holding official duties".

The court also banned Mr. Ulyukayev from holding public office for eight years after his prison term ends.

This former politician has mitigating circumstances such as having elderly parents and 2 young children, good moral character, and a scientific degree.

Former economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev was handcuffed immediately after the court announced the verdict on the morning of December 15 - Photo: REUTERS

Mr Uliukaev's trial lasted four months and one week and was considered the most high-profile case involving a sitting politician during Vladimir Putin's 18-year rule.

In November 2016, Russian President Putin signed a decree dismissing Mr. Ulyukayev due to loss of confidence.

The incident caused a stir in Russia. Minister Uliukaev was caught red-handed accepting a bribe from Igor Setchin, head of the oil giant Rosneft. The bag sent to him weighed 22kg and was filled with money, while the minister explained that he thought it was a gift of fine wine.

Mr Uliukaev, who served as economy minister from 2013-2016, is said to have been staunchly against the sale of a state stake in petrochemical company Bachneft to the powerful oil giant Rosneft.

But according to AFP, the deal was eventually successful thanks to the support of President Vladimir Putin. It was the largest state share sale in 2016, and was said to be aimed at boosting the budget, which was then heavily depleted by the free fall in oil prices.

Igor Setchin has been with Putin since the 1990s. He is considered the "architect" of the transformation of Rosneft from a little-known state-owned company into a powerful multinational corporation through capital increases through the stock exchange and controversial judicial decisions.

Defendant Uliukaev appeared confident before appearing in court on the morning of December 15 - Photo: REUTERS

The sentence for former minister Ulyukayev was, however, lower than the prosecutor's initial request of 10 years of rehabilitation and a fine of 500 million rubles.

That day, defendant Ulyukayev declared that the proposed 10-year sentence for him was "no different from a death sentence".

According to AFP, when sentenced, defendant Ulyukayev remained calm and declared that he would appeal against this absurd trial.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov today refused to comment on the eight-year sentence for former minister Ulyukayev.

The 61-year-old defendant repeatedly claimed that this was a trap and even before appearing in court on December 15, he still said that the "director of the incident" was Igor Setchin - who was angry with him for preventing the purchase of the Bachneft Petrochemical Company.

According to AFP news agency, Mr. Igor Setchin did not appear at the trials despite being requested, but at the annual year-end press conference held at noon on December 14, President Putin still said that "there is no such thing as a violation" in this situation when asked about the incident related to Mr. Igor Setchin.

According to Tuoi Tre