At trial, Mikhail Savva pleads not guilty

Mikhail Savva, Professor from the Kuban State University, the director of the grant programmes of the Southern Regional Resource Centre, accused of embezzlement of budget funds, has refused to plead guilty at the court session in Krasnodar. Today, at the trial in the case against Mikhail Savva, the court has pronounced the indictment.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 9, the court held the preliminary court hearings, during which the Professor's arrest was extended till November 30.

According to Mikhail Savva, part of the case materials was falsified, and his prosecution is aimed to fight with social organizations and human rights defenders.

Meanwhile, the second defendant in the case Victoria Remmler, the head of the marketing company that conducted a sociological study on approach towards migrants in the Krasnodar Territory has pleaded guilty.

Earlier, Mikhail Savva has claimed that his criminal case was based on the testimony given by Victoria Remmler. Victoria Remmler and Mikhail Savva are charged under Part 3 of Article 159.2 (fraud in obtaining payments from a group of persons by previous concert with use of official position, as well as the same in large amount) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The Article stipulates the maximum penalty of up to five years of imprisonment.