A St. Petersburg court has refused to recognize the criminal case against lawyer Stanislav Sazonov as illegal, allowing the investigation into alleged fraud to continue. Sazonov, along with his client Yaroslav Karavaev, is accused of defrauding Tekhportavtoservis LLC (TPAS) in the return of money for a defective excavator.

Sazonov and Karavaev were released on their own recognizance, but they still face charges under Part 4 of Article 159, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The core of the dispute revolves around whether the excavator was purchased for personal or commercial use, which determines the applicability of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights.

The investigation alleges that Karavaev and Sazonov misled TPAS about the purpose of the purchase. TPAS initially reported the alleged fraud to the Department of Internal Affairs for the Admiralteysky District in December 2023, but the initiation of a criminal case was denied.

Sazonov discovered inconsistencies in the dates and signatures on the documents related to the case initiation after requesting a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the initial refusal to launch an investigation. He claims that the prosecutor’s office, the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Investigative Committee processed the case with conflicting dates and potentially falsified documents.

Sazonov challenged the initiation of the criminal case in the Leninsky District Court of St. Petersburg, citing procedural violations and discrepancies in the documentation. Law enforcement officials attributed the discrepancies to “technical errors” and typos, denying any malicious intent.

The court did not find the discrepancies suspicious and refused to cancel the criminal case. Sazonov has appealed this decision, and his application will be reviewed by the St. Petersburg City Court in August.

The criminal case against Sazonov is ongoing. He was charged and interrogated in May, acquainted with the case materials, and in early July the case was transferred to the district prosecutor’s office for approval. The case will eventually be transferred to the court, which will determine whether Karavaev and Sazonov defrauded TPAS.