Ex-manager of Kirzinsky Reserve Given Real Prison Sentence

Headline: Ex-Director of Kirzinsky Nature Reserve Nailed for Poaching, Bribery, and other Crimes: Sentenced to 8 Years in Strict-Regime Penal Colony

Listen up, 'cause this one's a wild ride! The Barabinsky District Court has thrown the book at Vyacheslav Ermolik, the ex-top-dog at the Kirzinsky Nature Reserve. The once-proud conservationist has been slapped with a long and costly sentence for a messy tangle of crimes, including six counts of poaching, nine counts of bribery, abuses of power, exceeding authority, illegal weapon possession, and organizing hunting expeditions.

Here's the lowdown on Ermolik's wrongdoings:

Poaching: Our man was caught red-handed conducting illegal hunting on specially protected natural territories and organizing such lawless activities.
Bribery: In his role as a public official, Ermolik accepted bribes in various forms - cash, property, and illicit services - to facilitate unlawful activities. Specifically, he arranged favorable conditions for illegal hunting on the Kirzinsky Nature Reserve, authorized agricultural work using pesticides, permitted cattle grazing, and issued passes allowing motorized watercraft access to Lake Chany during specified navigation periods.
Exceeding Authority: As a public official, Ermolik made decisions that significantly violated state interests by approving agricultural work using pesticides and cattle grazing on the reserve's territory.

When you tally up all the counts, Ermolik's crimes amounted to 8 years in a strict-regime penal colony, a hefty fine of 1.5 million rubles, and a 3-year ban on engaging in state oversight of specially protected natural territories, management of wildlife, and their habitats. For more on the ins and outs of this verdict, check out the "Courts of General Jurisdiction" group on "VKontakte".

However, one bribery charge against Ermolik was dropped due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution. The state confiscated property and monetary funds used in the crime, as well as money equivalent to the bribe amounting to 599,718 rubles.

The prosecutor's civil claims were denied because they were voluntarily satisfied by other defendants. In a twist of twist, the civil claim to recover damages caused by the crime was satisfied. The arrest on Ermolik's property and funds in bank accounts (deposits) will be maintained until the execution of the court's decisions regarding the civil claim, the execution of the fine, and the confiscation of the monetary funds.

Ermolik was found not guilty and acquitted of certain charges like bribery for illegal actions or inaction and abuse of office, and was granted the right to rehabilitation. The verdict hasn't yet kicked into effect.

So, how did all of this come to light? Back in December 2022, a site where a deer and a moose had been slaughtered was discovered on the Kirzinsky Nature Reserve. The reserve's director was nabbed, and earlier in the year, three poachers had already been busted.

More recently, another criminal case was opened under Part 3 of Article 290 of the RF Criminal Code - "Receiving a Bribe". The trial against Vyacheslav Ermolik went down on April 15, 2024, in the Barabinsky District Court.

Before any of this went down, Ermolik chatted with Sibkray.ru, claiming that the criminal case against him was "revenge". He claimed to have hoards of documents that supposedly prove his innocence. He shared his theories on who's out to get him with the Sibkray.ru editorial team.

If you're looking to find conviction details about someone, try checking public records, news reports, court websites, or legal databases like Westlaw or LexisNexis.

Vyacheslav Ermolik, the former director of the Kirzinsky Nature Reserve, was sentenced to 8 years in a strict-regime penal colony for crimes including poaching, bribery, and exceeding authority.
Ermolik was caught organizing illegal hunting on specially protected natural territories and received bribes in various forms to facilitate unlawful activities related to the Kirzinsky Nature Reserve.
The prosecution dropped one bribery charge due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, but seized property and funds used in the crime, as well as money equivalent to the bribe amounting to 599,718 rubles.
The trial against Ermolik under Part 3 of Article 290 of the RF Criminal Code for receiving a bribe took place on April 15, 2024, in the Barabinsky District Court.