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Spaceport Contractor Gets 3.5 Years for Embezzlement

AP/Alexei Nikolsky

The owner of a company working on the construction of Russia's "East" cosmodrome in the Amur region has been sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony for embezzling 1.7 million rubles ($26,000). 

"It has been established that in July 2013 a limited liability company, represented by its director general, signed a contract with the customer for the execution of a set of construction and installation works at the "East" cosmodrome," Irina Volk, a representative of the Interior Ministry told the Interfax news agency.

"In October and November 2013, as part of the contract, 2.7 million rubles were transferred to the contractor, but the company reported that it had only performed work for an amount of just over 990,000 rubles. The rest of the money, more than 1.7 million rubles, the general director of the company transferred to the account of another organization, after which the funds were cashed and handed over to him."

The case was originally opened in the beginning of 2015 and was completed in December. 

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