MOSCOW, June 8 (RAPSI, Nikita Shiryayev) – Russia’s Supreme Court on Friday mitigated the sentence of Dalspetsstroy building company’s ex-CEO Yury Khrizman and his son Mikhail convicted of embezzling 5.2 billion rubles (about $83 million at the current exchange rate) during Vostochny Cosmodrome construction, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

The sentence given by the Far East District Military Court in Russia’s Khabarovsk was changed because of expiration of the criminal prosecution’s statute of limitations. The term of Yury Khrizman was reduced to 11.5 years behind bars, and fine was decreased to 1 million rubles ($16,000). Mikhail Khrizman was released as he had been charged only with one count of crime.

In February, Yury Khrizman was sentenced to 12 years in prison and a 1.5-million-ruble fine ($24,000) for abuse of office and embezzlement. His son, entrepreneur Mikhail Khrizman, head accountant Vladimir Ashihmin and former chairman of the Legislative Duma of Khabarovsk Krai Victor Chudov were also sentenced to prison terms varying from 5.5 to 7 years in prison. Mikhail Khrizman was fined 800,000 rubles ($13,000) while Chudov was fined 900,000 rubles ($15,000).

According to the case documents, the defendants acting as an organized criminal group embezzled about 106 million rubles ($1.8 million) belonging to Dalspetsstroy in 2006-2009. Victims in the case are Dalspetsstroy company and Roscosmos space corporation. Investigators added that Yury Khrizman and Ashihmin abused their authority by misusing money allocated for the Cosmodrome construction and caused damage to Russia valued at 5.2 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.