Alla Soboleva appealed the verdict in the case of extortion from the developer.

The deceived co-investor Alla Soboleva appealed the verdict of the Sochi court, which sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison for extorting housing from the developer. Soboleva was left without a lawyer by agreement, and her daughter cannot obtain a passport and go to her grandmother.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on June 19, the prosecutor requested eight years in prison for the deceived co-investor Alla Soboleva, accused of extorting an apartment from the developer Shamil Nunaev. On July 6, the court sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison.

Soboleva filed an appeal against the guilty verdict of the Central District Court of Sochi, issued by Judge Alexey Bazhin two days earlier, on July 8. The lawyers of the parties and the mother of the convicted Svetlana Soboleva informed the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" about the filing of the appeal. The office of the Central District Court of Sochi confirmed that the complaint has been registered.

"The appeal from the convicted has been received and registered. The reasoned verdict will be prepared and issued to Soboleva next week," said a representative of the court's criminal office.

The reasons why the court agreed with the prosecution's arguments and found Soboleva guilty are still unknown, as the reasoned verdict has not yet been prepared. The victim and the prosecutor also have the right to appeal the verdict if they consider the imposed punishment excessively lenient. The article on extortion in a large amount (paragraph "b" of part 3 of article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) provides for imprisonment from seven to fifteen years with a fine.

According to one of the sources in the court, Alla Soboleva continues to be under house arrest in rented accommodation in the Mamayka microdistrict until the verdict comes into legal force. The convicted claims that she is prohibited from leaving her place of residence, using the internet, and communicating with other individuals.

The mother of the convicted Svetlana Soboleva, living in the suburbs of Kyiv, learned about the verdict from a publication in "Kommersant". From communication with lawyers, she learned that her daughter does not admit guilt, intends to seek acquittal, and filed a preliminary appeal before receiving the reasoned verdict.

"My daughter is an economist by education; she graduated from a paid educational institution in Kyiv. During the proceedings, she had to study legal issues independently to defend her rights. Many lawyers refused to continue participating in the case. After the court hearings, she was left without a defense attorney by agreement and heard the verdict with a court-appointed lawyer," Svetlana Soboleva told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

She explained that for this reason, there was no one to file an appeal against the verdict except for Alla herself. From her daughter's letters, Svetlana learned about the reasons for her disagreements with the defenders: Alla Soboleva believed that the lawyers did not familiarize themselves sufficiently with the materials of the criminal case and did not fulfill her instructions.

One of Soboleva's former representatives, who requested not to be named, confirmed that during the investigation and court proceedings, his former client changed more than ten lawyers. According to him, disagreements repeatedly arose between Soboleva and the lawyers regarding the defense strategy and the assessment of the materials of the criminal case, which was accompanied by appeals to the bar association with complaints about the actions of the defenders.

"My participation was limited to two court sessions and legal consultation during the time Soboleva was in pre-trial detention. All obligations under the agreement were fulfilled," said the lawyer.

He noted that he considers the charges unfounded, despite the disagreements with his former client. "In my opinion, she was trying to obtain housing of proper quality for which she paid money. In the case materials, as I believe, there is no evidence that she threatened to disseminate defamatory information in order to obtain another, more expensive housing. She and other bloggers published information about what was actually happening," said the former lawyer.

Svetlana Soboleva also reported that she is concerned about the fate of her 11-year-old granddaughter. "Alla was granted a deferment of punishment until her daughter reaches the age of 14, for three years. Due to the closed borders between Russia and Ukraine, the child cannot come to me. She also cannot go to France, where she was born, as a passport is required for this, and it is currently impossible to obtain one. Alla is not even allowed to go to the store and is forced to use courier delivery services. Due to constant relocations in rented housing, the child has to change schools," Svetlana said.

The correspondent contacted the trusted person of the victim Pavel Azyavin for a comment on the case, but he declined to comment. The victim Shamil Nunaev was also unavailable for contact.

Earlier, Alla Soboleva stated to "Caucasian Knot" that she does not admit guilt. According to her, the videos she published were a way to draw the attention of law enforcement agencies to the alleged violations in the construction and sale of resort real estate by Nunaev in Sochi.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that in September 2023, a search was conducted in Alla Soboleva's apartment, and her phone and computer were seized. She was also handed a ruling on the initiation of a criminal case, the reason for which was a statement by Nunaev. Extortion, according to the investigation, consisted of the fact that the co-investor was seeking to enforce her rights and wrote on the internet that she had purchased illiquid housing in the residential complex "Kurortny", Soboleva said. At the end of January, she testified in court for the first time, declaring her innocence; her defense accused the court of bias.

The "Kurortny" microdistrict was supposed to consist of 50 three-story houses, but in 2016, construction was halted due to violations. Inspectors found, in particular, that there were six buildings on the site, ranging from four to six stories high. The administration of Sochi filed a lawsuit against LLC "Residential Complex "Kurortny" for the demolition of unauthorized constructions, and the objects were seized.

In June 2015, a two-story private house slid into the pit of the residential complex "Kurortny". Local residents claimed that the construction could lead to new landslides. In 2018, the developer Shamil Nunaev was instructed to complete the construction of the residential complex "Kurortny".