Moscow City Court Declines to Change Yevgeny Bryun's Sentence

The Moscow City Court ruling stated that the sentence of the Kuzminsky District Court of Moscow was left unchanged. The court estimated the damage from the actions of Bryun and his accomplices at 138 million rubles. In addition to imprisonment, Bryun was banned from working in government agencies for 2.5 years and fined 850 thousand rubles.

Bryun's arrest became known on August 19, 2022. On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Health reported that Evgeny Bryun was no longer the chief freelance psychiatrist-narcologist due to the liquidation of the position itself. There are other defendants in the case, including the vice-president of the Russian Narcological League Vladimir Yakushev, the general director of Microtechnology LLC Sergey Vasiliev, the head of the tender department of the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center of Narcology (MSPC) Lyudmila Eremenkina and the former head of the MSPC of Narcology Sergey Koporov.

Vladimir Yakushev initially admitted his guilt and entered into a pre-trial cooperation agreement with the prosecutor's office, giving testimony against Bryun as well. But later, according to Kommersant, Yakushev changed his position and retracted his previous words. For the duration of the investigation, he was placed under house arrest, as was Yevgeny Bryun.

The investigation of the criminal case was completed in July 2023, and the trial began in the Kuzminsky District Court in February 2024. The Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Narcology was recognized as the injured party. By the court's decision, the property of Bryun, Koporov, and Yakushev was seized in September of the same year. The decision was made with the aim of possibly securing the sentence in terms of collecting a fine and a civil claim from the injured party.

During the next hearing, the state prosecution asked to recover 44 million rubles from Yevgeny Bryun and other defendants. These funds are intended as compensation for damages to the Moscow Health Department. Bryun's lawyers did not agree with the claim, noting that the department is participating in the process as an injured party and has not made any material claims against Bryun during the entire time.

The prosecutor's office insisted on real terms for the defendants: for Yevgeny Bryun - 8 years in prison, Vladimir Yakushev - 8.5 years in prison, Sergei Vasiliev - 8 years in prison, Lyudmila Eremenkina - 6.5 years in a general regime prison, Sergei Koporov - 6 years in a general regime prison.

As a result, Bryun was sentenced to seven years in prison, Vladimir Yakushev - to seven years with a fine of 500 thousand rubles and a ban on holding certain positions for 3 years. Sergei Koporov received 4 years in a general regime colony, a fine of 400 thousand rubles and a ban on holding certain positions for 2.5 years, Lyudmila Eremenkina - 6 years in prison with a fine of 500 thousand rubles and a ban on holding certain positions for 2.5 years. Sergei Vasiliev was sentenced to 6 years in prison, a fine of 1.5 million rubles, and he is also banned from holding certain positions for three years.