The Taganrog City Court sentenced the former CEO of the Taganrog-based Torgservis LLC (which managed the Moi Gorod chain of supermarkets) Natalia Tseryuta to 4.5 years and a fine of 600,000 rubles, the press service of the Rostov Region Prosecutor's Office reported today. She was sentenced under four articles: "fraud," "laundering of criminally obtained funds," "illegal receipt of a loan," and "deliberate bankruptcy."

The prosecution proved the following episodes:

In 2008-2009, Tseryuta took out a loan of 42.5 million rubles from the Taganrog branch of Sberbank, having provided the bank with deliberately false information about the company's prosperous economic and financial condition. Tseryuta used most of the loan (31.7 million rubles) for other purposes and legalized it through financial transactions.

In addition, she persuaded a number of contractors to supply products to supermarkets, knowing that she would not be able to pay for them. By that time, Torgservis already had debts for previously supplied products.

Also, "Torgservis" borrowed 26 million rubles from two individuals, allegedly to replenish working capital; Tseryuta stole this money. Finally, she withdrew the company's assets, deliberately creating insolvency (concluded purchase and sale agreements on obviously unfavorable terms, fictitious agreements, etc.). This led to the fact that "Torgservis" could not satisfy the demands of the tax authorities and other creditors in the amount of more than 113 million rubles.

In August, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated at Torgservis; at that time, the company had 19 stores in Taganrog (13 of which were bought by Rostok LLC, which manages the Assorti-Product chain and subsequently leased to Pyaterochka); the debt to creditors amounted to 686 million rubles.

The regional prosecutor's office reported the case against Tseryuta in April 2010, but at that time she was charged only with deliberate bankruptcy. "Torgservis" purchased commercial equipment on lease, leased it to a large number of third-party legal entities, but they did not pay, - said regional prosecutor Sergei Kravchenko.

Tseryuta was not only the CEO, but also the owner of 20% of Torgservis, 80% belonged to Taganrog City Duma deputy Alexey Ivanishchev. It was not reported whether he was involved in the case. It has not yet been possible to obtain a comment from the prosecutor's office on this matter.

The CEO of Torgservis was convicted on four counts