The banker who pocketed half a billion asked not to judge her strictly

The Kalininsky District Court of Tyumen found the former Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Siberian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (SBRR) Inessa Brandenburg guilty of embezzling 561 million rubles. from bank funds. She was sentenced to four years in prison, although the prosecutor’s office requested a tougher sentence. She admitted her guilt and repented of her deed. During the last word, the former top manager asked the court not to punish her “too severely.” The defense is not sure whether Inessa Brandenburg will appeal the verdict.

Criminal case under paragraph “a”, “b” part 4 of Art. 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (theft) against Inessa Brandenburg was initiated in 2018. According to the investigation, she was part of an organized group headed by Grigory Romanyuta, chairman of the board and co-owner of the SBRR. Expecting an imminent revocation of the license and the bankruptcy of the bank, top managers decided to steal more than 561 million rubles.

The Siberian Bank for Reconstruction and Development was opened in Tyumen in December 1990. Among the co-owners of the credit institution were Reskom-Tyumen LLC (19.92%), the wife of ex-deputy of the regional Duma Sergey Korobov Natalya Korobova (19.25%), ex-chairman of the board of the bank Grigory Romanyuta (14.29%), Alexey Lebzak (15.61%), Natalya Kobzeva (15.47%) and Alexander Nikulin (15.46%). In February 2018, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation revoked the license from the SBRR, and in March of the same year the bank was declared bankrupt.

In January, Romanyuta and Brandenburg received money from the Ural State Central Bank of the Russian Federation under the pretext of an expected outflow of customers due to lower rates. The cash desks of the SBRR were replenished with funds, and later Inessa Brandenburg took them from the store, putting office items in their place. Sergey Kuznetsov, a resident of Orenburg, took out the money in nine sports bags.

Inessa Brandenburg received 100 million rubles from the stolen money. and on the night of January 27, 2018, flew to Moscow, and from there to Berlin. Grigory Romanyuta also left the country and is still on the wanted list. Another 350 million rubles. received a man unidentified by the investigation, and more than 105 million rubles. divided between Igor Gorbonosov, Sergei Kuznetsov and Dmitry Manuilov, who were sentenced earlier.

Inessa Brandenburg was on the international wanted list until September 2021, when she was detained by the Spanish police. Until the end of July 2022, the woman was in a local pre-trial detention center, and then she was extradited to Russia. In Tyumen, a former top manager made a deal with the prosecutor’s office, pleaded guilty and helped in the investigation of her own criminal case.

Today, the ex-head of the bank gave the last word in court. She once again reminded that she fully admits her guilt, and asked for forgiveness from “everyone to whom she caused so many problems, troubles, pain.”

“Everything that has happened in my life since January 2018 is punishment for a crime, and I understand that. For three and a half years I was afraid of every knock on my door. The money that I received from the crime, ironically, was stolen from me. She became seriously ill and underwent surgery. The disease does not exclude relapse at any time. I assure you that in these five years I fully realized what I had done. And more than anyone, I blame myself for what happened,” said Inessa Brandenburg.

She asked the court “not to punish excessively severely” and to believe in her “sincere repentance.” The woman added that she wants to live next to her son, a student studying in Berlin, who “really needs” her, since they have no other close relatives.

The court stayed in the deliberation room for about an hour and a half, after which it announced the verdict. Inessa Brandenburg was found guilty and sentenced to four years in a penal colony. The state prosecution previously requested four years and ten months in prison.

In addition, Inessa Brandenburg, in solidarity with Igor Gorbonosov, Sergey Kuznetsov and Dmitry Manuilov, will have to return about 545 million rubles, taking into account the amount of damage partially compensated by them.

The defense considered the punishment excessively harsh. “We insisted that she be given a sentence comparable to the time she spent in the pre-trial detention center – two years and eight months, so that she could immediately be released. Brandenburg repented, helped the investigation, and herself announced her intention to return the stolen money, ”lawyer Alexander Pashkevich told Kommersant-Ural.

At the same time, he is not sure that Inessa Brandenburg will want to appeal the verdict, since she was ready for severe punishment. The decision to appeal the former banker will take tomorrow during a meeting with the defenders.

The prosecutor’s office of the Tyumen region told Kommersant Ural that the department’s decision to file an appeal could be made only after reading the text of the guilty verdict.