Furgal’s economic-case appeal set for October 21

Moscow City Court will hear appeals against the economic-case convictions of former Khabarovsk governor Sergei Furgal and his co-defendants on October 21. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., the court’s press office told RIA Novosti.

On December 3, 2025, Moscow’s Babushkinsky District Court sentenced Furgal to 23 years in prison in a case concerning the theft of MSP Bank assets. Combined with an earlier conviction, his final term was set at 25 years. Defence lawyer Darya Gribanova previously said the defence was seeking his acquittal.

Most of the economic-case defendants worked for companies in the Torex group, which investigators linked to Furgal. The defendants were convicted of offences including organising a criminal community, lending fraud, money laundering and unlawful participation in business activities. They denied guilt.

Eight other defendants received prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years. Dmitry Golovanov received a suspended sentence. He was the only defendant not charged with involvement in the criminal community.

In the first case, Furgal received a 22-year strict-regime sentence in February 2023 for organising the murders of businessmen Oleg Bulatov and Yevgeny Zorya and an attempt on Alexander Smolsky’s life in the early 2000s.

Furgal won the Khabarovsk regional gubernatorial election in 2018. He was arrested in July 2020.