A judge in Moscow has sentenced former Russian Open Government Minister Mikhail Abyzov to a total of 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of fraud, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.
Abyzov, 54, was already serving a 12-year prison sentence handed down in 2023 on accusations of defrauding two Siberian energy companies, founding an organized crime group, as well as running a business illegally and bribery.
A judge at the Tagansky District Court found Abyzov guilty of defrauding an unidentified entity in connection with high-tech investments into the U.S.-based solar energy firm Alion Energy. Reports identified the entity as the state-owned Russian Venture Company.
Prosecutors claimed Abyzov had conspired with two business associates to mislead the Russian Venture Company into continuing to invest in Alion Energy, thus embezzling $5 million.
Abyzov, who denied the charges, maintained that he personally suffered financial losses from the failed venture and noted that he continued investing his own funds into Alion Energy after the alleged embezzlement.
Taking into account his prior conviction, the court handed down a combined sentence of 14 years for Abyzov. He was also fined 80.1 million rubles ($968,200), banned from holding public office for three years and stripped of state awards.
It was not immediately clear how many years Abyzov was sentenced to specifically in the latest case.
The sentence, which is subject to appeal, comes more than a year after law enforcement authorities pressed charges as part of an investigation into the fraud scheme.
Abyzov’s defense attorney did not indicate whether he plans to appeal his latest prison sentence.
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