Four former municipal and district officials of the town of Krymsk and the surrounding district have been found guilty of negligence for failing to prevent casualties during last year's floods in the Krasnodar region that claimed the lives of 171 people.
Former head of district administration Vasily Krutko, former Krymsk mayor Vladimir Ulanovsky, former acting head of district emergencies and civil defense department Victor Zhdanov and former head of the Nizhnebakamsk local administration Irina Ryabchenko were all convicted on negligence charges for failing to prevent human casualties during the floods.
Krutko, Ulanovsky and Ryabchenko were also found guilty of forgery, while the court found Zhdanov guilty of attempted fraud in the process of distributing compensation to flood victims, Interfax reported.
All the defendants except Krutko have denied their guilt.
Prosecutors asked the court to sentence Krutko, Zhdanov and Ulanovsky to six, 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 years detention in prison, respectively. For Ryabchenko, the prosecutor requested a suspended sentence of 3 1/2 years imprisonment.
The trial that began on May 15 was one of two separate trials related to the Krymsk floods. Another case is being heard at the Krymsk District Court, where former head of the Prigorodny settlement Nadezhda Kurochkina is on trial for negligence and forgery. The defendant has admitted her guilt and agreed to a plea bargain with the court.
The floods that hit on July 6 to 7, 2012, affected 7,200 residential homes in Krymsk, Gelenzhik and Novorossiisk, as well as several villages in the Krasnodar region.
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