A defendant in a financial pyramid case decided to flee to war in Ukraine

The Tagansky District Court of Moscow has declared Andrey Kochanov, one of the main defendants in the case of former managers and employees of the consumer investment cooperative (PIK) Omega Group, wanted. This is reported by Kommersant.

Kochanov was under house arrest. According to the newspaper, when the defendant failed to appear at the next court hearing, his representatives said that he had gone to Rostov-on-Don to sign a contract and go to war in Ukraine. The court found this argument unconvincing and ordered Kochanov's arrest in absentia. The newspaper notes that before his escape, Kochanov asked the judge for permission to undergo a medical examination, but the court refused.

The trial of Kochanov and other defendants has been going on for over a year, Kommersant notes. The alleged organizer, Vladimir Dryagin, according to the newspaper, managed to hide in Poland. According to investigators, Omega Group initially attracted money at 16% per annum, claiming that this money would be invested in the construction of houses in Germany. Subsequently, the rates increased to 24%, and periodically to 58%. Kochanov is accused of 123 episodes of fraud.

In May 2022, Omega Group was included in the Central Bank's "list of companies with identified signs of illegal activity in the financial market." The victims, many of whom are over 70 years old, have not yet been compensated for any damages.

Earlier, Kommersant wrote that employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Federal Customs Service and bailiffs began recruiting suspects and defendants in criminal cases to fight. According to the publication, they are promised that their convictions will be expunged, criminal prosecution will be suspended, and subsequently terminated. Kommersant notes that Kochanov, in turn, was a defendant, and serious restrictions were imposed on him. In particular, he wore an electronic bracelet, which he was able to remove before escaping.

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