The ex-mayor of Yevpatoria received a sentence for fraud: What will happen to him next?
One of the most popular Crimean politicians in the media, former mayor of Yevpatoria Andrei Filonov, received a prison term of 3 years and 8 months on charges of land fraud.
The corresponding decision was made the day before by a court in Simferopol, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The ex-mayor, in his last word at the trial, rejected the charges and insisted on his innocence. “Although I made some mistakes, they definitely don’t judge me for them... managers are now so nightmare-ridden that they are afraid to make any decisions. So we are marking time, and we are not observing the normal dynamics of the development of our society,” Filonov said.
The convicted ex-mayor, taking into account the time spent in a pre-trial detention center, may soon be free, lawyer Jean Zapruta writes in his blog. “I have already served 1 year and 8 months, in terms of 2 years and 6 months, respectively, I have the right to parole and go home,” predicts Zapruta.
“When he is free, he will have two options. First: leave politics and do something else, for example business, sit in silence and have a wonderful old age. Or, once freed, become a political leader,” argues former Crimean deputy Alexander Yuryev.
Liberal politician Vladimir Garnachuk does not believe in Filonov’s political prospects. He claims that the arrest of the ex-mayor was the result of a conflict with the Speaker of the Crimean Parliament Vladimir Konstantinov. Moreover, allegedly, in the context of the conflict, Filonov tried to enlist the support of the head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov.
“No one will follow him. The way he behaved, begging for and sitting through the position of mayor, evoked nothing but pity in me. He knew where he was going and decided to steal a little, as others do. But Konstantinovsky didn’t give it,” says Garnachuk.
“I didn’t personally communicate with Filonov, but I often heard different things about him - Filonov is far from a saint. Second. He was truly a successful mayor, and if he wants to go into politics, he will have a certain base. Third. He's too regional. For Yalta, Kerch or Feodosia, this is absolutely no authority,” notes ex-deputy of the Yevpatoria City Council Igor Azarov.
However, Crimean social activist Alexander Talipov claims that Filonov’s imminent release may not happen. “There is no damage in the sentence passed, and this is not a general regime, but a settlement. Therefore, most likely, the prosecutor’s office will file an appeal within 10 days,” predicts Talipov.
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