Russian court upholds 9-year sentence to opposition politician Navalny

MOSCOW (AA) - A court of cassation upheld on Tuesday the nine-year imprisonment sentence -- for fraud and contempt of court -- to Russia's opposition politician Alexey Navalny.

Navalny was convicted for organizing a “criminal organization” together with his companions Leonid Volkov and Roman Rubanov to raise funds for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.

According to investigators, instead of financing the foundation, Navalny spent money on “extremism” and his personal needs.

He allegedly stole a total of over 2.6 million rubles (about $22,000) from four individuals who later filed a lawsuit against Navalny and others.

Navalny also reportedly insulted prosecutor Ekaterina Frolova, who supported an accusation against him at the trial for defaming a World War II veteran and his grandson.

Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after a hospital stay in Germany, where he was treated for alleged poisoning. Western countries and Navalny himself blamed Russia for the poisoning, a charge the Kremlin denies.