MOSCOW, October 5 - RAPSI. Two former Karelian Ministers of Agriculture, Fishing and Food, Vladimir Sobinsky and Vanda Patenko, have received conditional sentences for cheating members of the business community and causing losses of $643,000, the Prosecutor General's Offices reported Friday.

Investigators hold that between 2006 and 2007 Sobinsky and then Patenko, who succeeded him in his post, unlawfully refused to allocate certain fishing areas to several companies and gave preference to other fisheries, some of which investigators believe to be owned by Sobinsky.

Investigators have said that they did not have the power either to allocate or deny the allocation of these areas as this falls within the competence of federal authorities.

In addition to the 20 million ruble ($643,000) losses inflicted on local businessmen, their actions caused a loss of 5.4 million rubles ($173,500) to the government. Furthermore, both ministers provided 2.4 million ruble ($77,000) subsidies to Sobinsky's companies, to the detriment of other fisheries and agricultural companies. Patenko has also provided office vehicles for her relatives to travel to Finland and St. Petersburg, which cost the state 15,800 rubles ($508).

The Petrozavodsk City Court in Karelia has declared Sobinsky and Patenko guilty of abuse of office and has sentenced both to probation, Sobinsky for three years and Patenko for one.