MOSCOW, March 19 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court temporarily stopped reviewing an appellation filed by Yulia Anikeyeva, a former president of the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF), against a 4.5-year prison sentence she had earlier received for embezzlement of 44 million rubles (about $753,000 at the current exchange rate), the court’s press-service informed RAPSI.

Anikeyeva in her appeal sought to overturn the sentence.

The review of the appellation was stopped to correct the deficiencies hindering the court to examine the case. After these deficiencies are corrected, the appellation is to be again submitted to the Moscow City Court, RAPSI was told.

The Russian Basketball Federation ex-chief was convicted and sentenced on October 23, 2017. She failed to appear in court and was put on the wanted list.  The case against another defendant, ex-chief accountant of the RBF Mikhail Kocharyan, was closed because of his death.

Anikeyeva and Kocharyan were found guilty of large-scale embezzlement committed by a group of people in collusion with the use of their job position.

A criminal case was launched against Anikeyeva in December 2015 based on the results of financial audit conducted at the RBF after a change of management. Kocharyan died in October 2016 after extended illness. His relatives objected to termination of his criminal prosecution without Kocharyan being rehabilitated in court.

Investigators believe that between February 20, 2014 and August 24, 2015, Anikeyeva and her accomplices embezzled nearly 44 million rubles by signing fictitious civil law contracts with private entrepreneurs. Money was allegedly cashed in and transferred to Silina who in her turn transferred it Kocharyan.

Anikeyeva has pleaded not guilty.

In March 2017, the court found Silina guilty of aiding embezzlement and sentenced her to 3.5 years in prison.