MOSCOW, February 24 (RAPSI) – Russian Ministry of Justice is going to appeal a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that granted a compensation for opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his accomplice Pyotr Ofitserov in Kirovles embezzlement case, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, ECHR published a ruling regarding Kirovles embezzlement case, claiming that Navalny’s and Ofitserov’s rights on a fair trial were violated. However, ECHR did not find a political motive in this case.

ECHR ruled to compensate Navalny with 48,000 euro of legal costs and Ofitserov with 22,000 euro. Additionally Russia is to pay 8,000 euro each in damages.

Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence in July 2013 for embezzlement at the Kirovles timber company. In May, Moscow's Lyublinsky District Court increased a probation period for him to 5.5 years in the case. Ofitserov has received a four-year suspended sentence.

According to investigators, while serving on a voluntary basis as an adviser to the Kirov Region governor, Navalny allegedly organized the theft of over 10,000 cubic meters of timber from Kirovles between May and September 2009. He presumably acted in collusion with Vyatka Timber Company Director Pyotr Ofitserov and Kirovles CEO Vyacheslav Opalyov.