A Moscow’s court sentenced Viktor Baturin, elder brother of ex-mayor Luzhkov’s wife Yelena Baturina, to a suspended 3 year imprisonment and 300,000 roubles fine ($11,000). The court took into consideration that Baturin has three underage children and he has indemnified victims for the losses.

The court found Baturin guilty of fraud. In June 2008 he sold non-residential premises in Second Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street in Moscow to Igor Vashurkin for 23.8m roubles ($0.83m). He undertook to turn the premises over to a new owner within 3 days. But at the end of June he sold the same premises to another buyer Dmitry Zhuravlev, investment director of Gazstroykomplekt trade-and-production company. Zhuravlev paid $1.5m and took a receit for money received. As a result Baturin earned 35m ($1.2m) roubles from illegal deal. 

Dmitry Zhuravlev said before the court, that he had no financial claims against Baturin and thought Baturin was innocent. Zhuravlev asked the court to drop the case against Baturin on the grounds that there had been no crime. Zhuravlev assured the court he had received full compensation for the abandoned deal. But the Article «Fraud» in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation does not stipulate the conciliation of sides, that is why the trial went on. 

Baturin pled non-guilt and called the trial “motivated”. He said that his prosecution might be related to the claims against his sister, head of Inteco firm Yelena Baturina. “There is certain connection [with Baturina]. Of cause, I am in the focus of attention,” said Baturin.

In autumn 2010 Viktor Baturin alleged that his sister owed him $1b and asked Aleksandr Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee, “to make a careful inquiry into criminal activities” of Baturina and “take legal measures according to the law”, the Russian Mafia reported (rumafia.com). He said he did not communicate neither with the sister, no with Luzhkov after his resignation. The financial issues between them are discussed through mediators.