MOSCOW, November 20 (RAPSI) – Criminal cases were launched against three persons witnessing in defense of actor Mikhail Efremov, who had been earlier sentenced for a fatal crash incident, the Interior Ministry press service informs RAPSI on Friday.

Two of those persons are suspected of intentionally making false statements that they saw not Efremov, but someone else driving the car at the time of the accident. Another suspect alleged that he detected another person being in the car alongside the actor.

This October, the Moscow City Court reduced jail sentence of Efremov by 6 months, from 8 to 7.5 years. The actor was found guilty of DUI driving resulting in vehicular homicide.

As established by the court, on the evening of June 8, Efremov driving his car crossed into the oncoming lane in central Moscow and collided with a delivery service vehicle. He was arrested on the scene. Alcohol and drugs were reportedly found in his blood. Victim Sergey Zakharov was taken to hospital where he died early in the morning of June 9.

Efremov pleaded guilty in the case.