MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) – A court in Sochi has sentenced Sergey Vinarsky, ex-director of the city’s water service company, to 17 months in penal colony settlement for abuse of power, the press service of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office reports.

According to investigators, the defendant has abused his authority during water discharge cross-connection in one of the residence buildings in the Adler district. Documents for the connection were made with violations, and the organization in charge did not have technical ability to hook up the water in the building.

As a result of abuse of power, damage estimated at over 38 million rubles (about $600,000) was caused to the Sochi water utility, investigators said claimed.