A Russian court ruled on Thursday that Sergei Magnitsky was guilty of fraud but did not impose a sentence on Magnitsky since it was very unlikely that he would serve it; Magnitsky is dead, according to the Washington Post.
Magnitsky was working as a lawyer when he uncovered a $230 million fraud conducted by tax officials and the police. Once he exposed the fraud Magnitsky was accused of orchestrating the crime himself and was arrested and placed in prison, where he would die in 2009 reportedly after a severe beating, reports the Washington Post.
The Russian government has been widely lambasted for going forward with the bizarre trial. Magnitsky's family refused to participate in the trial in any form. Some think that the trial went forward to deflect international outrage over the ordeal, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
"I never doubted this would be the verdict," Dmitry Kharitnov, Magnitsky's appointed lawyer, said according to the Christian Science Monitor. "I do not believe he was guilty. I know he did not commit any crime, and there was no proof to the contrary."
Convicted along with Magnitsky was his former boss, William Browder. Browder was sentenced to nine years in prison and plans to appeal but is currently living in London and unlikely to ever be extradited to Russia, according to the Washington Post.
"Today's verdict will go down in history as one of the most shameful moments for Russia since the days of Joseph Stalin," Browder said in a statement. "This is the first conviction of a dead man in Europe in the last ten centuries."
When Vladimir Putin was first elected president Browder, along with his firm Hermitage Capital, were vocal supporters of the new leader. Over the years Browder would push for greater transparency from the Russian government irritating the administration.
"The desperation behind this move shows the lengths that Putin is ready to go to to retaliate against anyone who exposes that stealing and corruption he presides over," Browder said. "When the Putin regime ultimately falls, future generations of Russians will be naming streets and monuments after Sergei Magnitsky for his heroism and sacrifice."
The Magnitsky affair greatly strained relations between the United States and Russia. Congress passed "the Magnitsky act" which put visa restrictions on Russian officials who may have been involved in the case. It was in retaliation for this that a Russian law was passed outlawing the adoption of Russian babies by American families, according to ABC News.
"The worst part of today's verdict is the malicious pain the Russian government is ready to inflict on the grieving family of a man who was killed for standing up to government corruption and police abuse," Browder said.
