Developers of the Sochi village of Gornaya Polyana have been convicted of defrauding residents.

A court in Sochi sentenced Alexander Pridannikov, Andrei Alliluyev, Nikolai Baboglo, and Alexander Kochergin to prison terms ranging from 1 year 9 months to 3 years, finding them guilty of building a cottage community without taking into account the risk of landslides.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", the case of four owners of land under the "Gornaya Polyana" cottage community in Sochi, who were accused of defrauding 15 buyers, was submitted to court back in February 2023.

The Khostinsky District Court of Sochi found Alexander Pridannikov, Andrei Alliluyev, Nikolai Baboglo, and Alexander Kochergin guilty of causing property damage by deception on an especially large scale, the joint press service of the courts of Krasnodar Krai reported today.

Pridannikov was sentenced to three years in a penal colony, Alliluyev to two years and 10 months in a penal colony, Kochergin to two years and two months, and Baboglo to one year and nine months, the press service clarified on its Telegram channel.

According to case materials, in 2019, the defendants purchased four plots of land with a total area of ​​approximately one hectare in Sergey-Pole. Having divided the land into 22 plots, the developers launched an advertising campaign for the cottage community under construction.

According to investigators, they were aware that engineering surveys indicated a landslide hazard, requiring the use of special construction technologies. However, the developers ignored the experts' recommendations. In 2021, due to design flaws, the cottages were partially destroyed by a landslide.

"It was established that the buildings were constructed in violation of the regulations, and the cottage owners suffered damages totaling over 130 million rubles," the press service clarified.

Earlier, the Sochi mayor's office offered residents of Sergey Polya compensation in the form of plots in another mountain village. Several families accepted, but most refused. Six families filed in court for monetary compensation. They believe the mayor's office neglected its responsibility to monitor development in the landslide area and failed to prohibit housing construction on the dangerous site.

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