The First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Russia rejected the appeal of Ilya Sachkov, founder and CEO of Group-IB, a company specializing in cybersecurity.
The court upheld the July 26, 2023 verdict of the Moscow City Court, which found Sachkov guilty of treason under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
The trial was held in closed mode, as the materials of the criminal case were classified as “top secret”. The judge announced only the introductory and operative parts of the court ruling, without disclosing the essence of the charges and evidence of Sachkov’s guilt.
Sachkov’s lawyers said they would continue to challenge the verdict in cassation instance.
Ilya Sachkov was arrested and imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center in September 2021. According to the investigation, the founder of Group-IB passed secret data on cyber threats to foreign intelligence services, thus damaging Russia’s interests.
Sachkov himself does not admit his guilt.
