Ex-Governor Furgals Sentencing Escalates to 25 Years Amidst Controversial Charges

A judge in Moscow has imposed a new 23-year prison term on Sergei Furgal, the former governor of the Khabarovsk region, adding to the existing 22 years he is serving for charges of double murder, as reported by his support group on Wednesday.

Furgal gained significant attention in 2018 when he ousted the Kremlin-supported incumbent in the gubernatorial election for the Far Eastern region. His arrest in 2020 triggered months of widespread protests, and the murder allegations against him are widely seen as politically motivated.

Despite the public backlash, a Moscow region court sentenced Furgal in 2022 to 22 years in a high-security prison for allegedly orchestrating contract killings.

On Wednesday, a judge from the Babushkinsky District Court in Moscow found Furgal guilty of additional charges, which include forming an organized crime group, abusing his authority, committing large-scale fraud, laundering money, and engaging in illegal business operations.

The case revolves around four bank loans amounting to 2.67 billion rubles (approximately $34.5 million) that were issued to firms connected to Furgal’s enterprises. His supporters claim that one of the loans has been completely repaid, and regular payments are being made on the others, including a payment made shortly before his arrest.

Furgal has consistently denied all allegations against him.

The judge’s ruling resulted in a consolidated sentence of 25 years in a high-security prison by combining the new sentence with the previous one, according to his supporters.

Eight additional defendants involved in the case received sentences that ranged from four years suspended to 20 years in prison.

In 2020, President Vladimir Putin dismissed Furgal from his position, citing “loss of confidence,” and appointed Mikhail Degtyarev, a more Kremlin-aligned figure from the same nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, as his successor. Degtyarev is currently serving as the Sports Minister.

Last year, a Khabarovsk court prohibited the use of the Russian phrase “I’m/We’re Furgal,” which has been adopted by the former governor’s supporters, classifying it as an “extremist movement.”