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Putin foe Navalny pleads innocent in latest fraud trial

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One of the most popular critics of President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, pleaded innocent at the start Thursday of a trial for defrauding French cosmetics company Yves Rocher out of more than half a million euros.

"I do not admit guilt. I consider the charges to be nonsense," Navalny said after a prosecutor read out in court accusations against him and his brother Oleg that could put them both behind bars for up to 10 years.

Navalny and his brother have been accused of swindling Yves Rocher out of nearly 27 million rubles ($750,000, 550,000 euros), plus more than 4 million rubles from another company, from 2008 to 2013.

Prosecutors have previously said that Navalny and his brother formed a company that provided Yves Rocher shipping services at inflated prices, and that the money was laundered via companies linked to them and relatives.

The 38-year-old activist, who shot to prominence during huge anti-Putin protests in 2011-2012 as an anti-corruption blogger and placed second in last year's Moscow mayoral race, dismisses these and other charges as a Kremlin attempt to punish him.

Navalny was convicted of embezzlement in July 2013, but his five-year sentence was converted into a suspended jail sentence.

Other accusations were quickly lodged against him, however, including the Yves Rocher case.

Following a night-time raid by police and security service agents, Navalny was accused of possessing a drawing stolen from a public display in a provincial town.

The activist, who has been placed under house arrest and denied access to the Internet, said it had been given to him as a birthday present by supporters.

He and his backers see all the cases as politically motivated and aimed at preventing them from taking part in political activities and exposing official corruption.

Russian authorities have not allowed him to register a party and have charged some of his closest associates with fraud linked to his crowd-funded mayoral campaign.

The next court hearing has been set for August 23.

One of the most popular critics of President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, pleaded innocent at the start Thursday of a trial for defrauding French cosmetics company Yves Rocher out of more than half a million euros.

“I do not admit guilt. I consider the charges to be nonsense,” Navalny said after a prosecutor read out in court accusations against him and his brother Oleg that could put them both behind bars for up to 10 years.

Navalny and his brother have been accused of swindling Yves Rocher out of nearly 27 million rubles ($750,000, 550,000 euros), plus more than 4 million rubles from another company, from 2008 to 2013.

Prosecutors have previously said that Navalny and his brother formed a company that provided Yves Rocher shipping services at inflated prices, and that the money was laundered via companies linked to them and relatives.

The 38-year-old activist, who shot to prominence during huge anti-Putin protests in 2011-2012 as an anti-corruption blogger and placed second in last year’s Moscow mayoral race, dismisses these and other charges as a Kremlin attempt to punish him.

Navalny was convicted of embezzlement in July 2013, but his five-year sentence was converted into a suspended jail sentence.

Other accusations were quickly lodged against him, however, including the Yves Rocher case.

Following a night-time raid by police and security service agents, Navalny was accused of possessing a drawing stolen from a public display in a provincial town.

The activist, who has been placed under house arrest and denied access to the Internet, said it had been given to him as a birthday present by supporters.

He and his backers see all the cases as politically motivated and aimed at preventing them from taking part in political activities and exposing official corruption.

Russian authorities have not allowed him to register a party and have charged some of his closest associates with fraud linked to his crowd-funded mayoral campaign.

The next court hearing has been set for August 23.

AFP
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