MOSCOW, April 11 - RAPSI. The Kemerovo Regional Court has announced the verdict in the case against Transformation of Russia public association founder Andrei Charushnikov and three of his employees, the Investigatory Committee reported Thursday.

The association claimed to rehabilitate drug addicts.

The association was registered in 2001 and consisted of 350 various enterprises in 200 Russian cities and over 10 branches abroad.

In November 2008, the organization received national status and the title, "Transformation of Russia." Its charter stipulates that the association is a substance abuse rehabilitation facility. In summer 2011, the Supreme Court closed down the association due to multiple violations.

The Supreme Court reported that a linguistic examination confirmed that the rituals carried out by the convicts at the association had no religious or medical basis.

The rehabilitation procedures did not provide any actual medical treatment, as there were no doctors among the staff. The association management also used the patients to do unskilled work for profit. Several patients tried leaving the association to start earning money independently. However, they were kidnapped and brought back into the association.

"In February 2004, Charushnikov suspected one of the workers of theft and beat him with a spade. After making sure the man was dead, he ordered the body to be buried in a cemetery in the Kemerovo district," the Supreme Court reported.

Charushnikovs accomplices have also been convicted. Nikolai Ovchinnikov was sentenced to seven years in prison and an 80,000 ruble fine. Damir Murzabayev was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. Vladimir Kondrashkin received four years and a 50,000 ruble fine.