MOSCOW, February 11 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court’s Presidium on Monday overturned a ruling mitigating sentence of four defendants in a case over 1.3-billion-ruble embezzlement (about $20 million) during the Vostochny Cosmodrome construction, the court’s press service told RAPSI.

The court therefore granted a cassation appeal filed by prosecution and sent the case back to an appeals court for reconsideration.

In February 2018, the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow sentenced Degtyareva to 4.5 years in prison; her father Sergey Degtyarev, who is believed to be the real owner of the company, received an 8-year prison term; ex-VVCC managers Alexander Bazankov and Murat Matuyev were given 6 and 5.5 years in prison respectively.

Additionally, Degtyareva, Bazankov and Matuyev were fined 1 million rubles (about $15,200) each, and Sergey Degtyarev was fined 1.5 million rubles (about $23,000).

In October, the Moscow City Court mitigated sentence of Degtyarev to 5 years and 2 months. His daughter’s sentence was reduced 3 years and 10 months; terms of Bazankov and Matuyev were decreased to 4 years and 10 months. The court also reduced fines imposed on the defendants.

Moreover, Degtyareva was released in court after recalculation of her sentence in accordance with recent amendments to Russian legislation.

Investigators claimed that in 2014, managers of Volga-Vyatka construction company (VVCC), a subcontractor for construction of roads to Vostochny Cosmodrome, received 300 million rubles ($4.5 million) as a down payment and expended the money for other purposes. Moreover, they channeled the public money to affiliated firms and individuals at a charge. According to the indictment, the total damage caused by the defendants was estimated at over 1.3 billion rubles.

The construction of the space center, due to become Russia's main launch site, began in 2012. The first launch vehicle operation was carried out on April 28, 2016.

Dozens of cases over embezzlement during the construction of Vostochny Cosmodrome have been launched in several Russian regions.