MOSCOW, June 20 (RAPSI) – Former deputy director of the Hermitage Museum Mikhail Novikov and managing director of BaltStroy company Alexander Kochenov admitted their guilt in embezzlement of 30.6 million rubles ($481,000) during construction and restoration of the museum’s facilities, attorney Natalya Shitikhina told RAPSI on Wednesday.

A court in St. Petersburg will review the case under special procedure on June 25.

The attorney noted that the defendants compensated damage in full.

In late March, the Federal Security Service’s (FSB) officers conducted searches in the State Hermitage Museum.

Searches in the engineering department’s buildings were related to a criminal case earlier launched against several individuals allegedly involved in embezzling money during construction of new facilities for the museum’s use, the State Hermitage announced on its website. Museum officials provided law enforcement authorities all information required including documents on two construction contracts, according to the statement.