MOSCOW, July 4 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) – The Sverdlovsky District Court in Kostroma on Thursday ordered the release of Vladimir Topekhin, a paralyzed man sentenced to four years in prison for fraud, defense attorney Svetlana Sidorkina told RAPSI.

Topekhin will be put in a special hospital after his release, Sidorkina said.

Initially, Topekhin was sentenced to six years in prison. In February, the Moscow City Court mitigated the sentence to Topekhin for two years.

According to investigators, while Topekhin was working as an auditor he received a payment of 10 million rubles ($291,974) from a client that sought assistance in establishing a legal consultancy firm in Moscow. With the money, Topekhin was supposed to rent a safe deposit box and some office space, and handle the paperwork. Topekhin is believed instead to have pocketed the money.

Prior to his arrest, Topekhin was injured in a car accident, and lost the use of both legs and one arm during the course of his detention.  Topekhin’s attorney filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) seeking his immediate release from custody.