The sentence in the case of fraud involving housing for orphans in Kabardino-Balkaria has been increased.

The Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has increased the developer's sentence, replacing his suspended sentence with two years and ten months in prison for embezzling nearly 50 million rubles.

As reported by Kavkazsky Uzel, in May 2024, the prosecutor's office approved charges of negligence against the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Kabardino-Balkaria. According to investigators, as a result of the official's negligent conduct, 45 contracts for the construction of housing for orphans were not fulfilled, resulting in damages amounting to over 49 million rubles.

"The organization's director embezzled budget funds allocated for the purchase of housing for orphans. As a result of his criminal actions, the republic's Ministry of Education and Science suffered damages in the amount of over 49 million rubles," the Kabardino-Balkarian Prosecutor's Office reported today.

Instead of the previously imposed suspended sentence, the court sentenced the defendant under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (large-scale fraud) 1 to two years and ten months in prison. He will serve his sentence in a general regime penal colony. The convicted man was taken into custody in the courtroom, the department said in a statement.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that Amina Tkhakakhova, an orphan from Nalchik who successfully secured a place on a housing waiting list through the courts and received assurances from the authorities in January 2024 that housing would be provided soon, still has not received the promised housing. Priority was given to orphans who chose to participate in the military operations against Ukraine.