07.06 MiG-29 Fraudster Gets Suspended Sentence

MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti) � A Moscow court has given a four-year suspended sentence to the last defendant in the criminal case over deliveries of low-quality equipment for MiG-29 fighters that were rejected by Algeria in 2007, Russia's business daily Kommersant said Friday.

The Moscow city court announced the sentencing for Mikael Kazaryan at a closed session on Thursday. The suspended sentence is a result of a plea bargain between the defendant and the prosecutors.

Criminal charges against Kazaryan, former general director of the Rezon company that sold the MiG Aircraft Corporation outdated equipment using forged certificates and tags, were brought in 2012 as part of a broader case involving several MiG officials and businessmen.

Kazaryan, 58, had initially fled to Armenia but later returned to Russia and surrendered to the authorities, Kommersant said.

He had given a detailed account of his criminal activities and fully admitted his guilt, the paper said citing case materials.