UPDATE 5: Moscow court arrests Group-IB founder Sachkov on treason charges

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MOSCOW/ST. PETERSBURG, Sep 29 (PRIME) -- The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow has arrested Ilya Sachkov, founder and general director of Group-IB, specializing in the prevention and investigation of cyberattacks, on treason charges for two months, the court’s press secretary Anastasia Romanova told PRIME on Wednesday.

“Under a ruling of the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow regarding Ilya Konstantinovich Sachkov, suspected of committing a crime…(of state treason), he was arrested until November 27, 2021,” Romanova said.

If convicted, Sachkov could face a sentence of 12 to 20 years in prison.

President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “(The case) has nothing to do with the business or investment climate of our country, you see the accusations are not related to the economy, but state treason.”

The Kremlin knows no details of the case, but sees no connection between the Sachkov case and the situation around investment fund Baring Vostok founder Michael Calvey, Peskov said.

Peskov added, “The Federal Security Service reports to the head of state on its relevant matters daily.”

An informed source told PRIME that Sachkov is most likely to be moved to the Lefortovo pretrial detention facility, where those charged with treason are often placed to, and where he could be put under a 14-day quarantine.

Group-IB said that the professional community’s trust in the company is so high that not a single expert has been declined by court over 18 years.

According to the company’s website, Group-IB protects clients in more than 60 countries, including Singapore, the Netherlands, the UAE., Vietnam, and others. It is an official partner of INTERPOL and Europol.

Group-IB earlier said that law enforcers came to its headquarters in Moscow on Tuesday. “Group-IB…confirmed that on Tuesday, September 28, operational procedures took place in the Moscow headquarters of Group-IB in Russia and the CIS,” the company’s spokesperson said.

The company said the law enforcers left the office in the evening the same day. Group-IB is unaware of the reasons and works as normal.

“The top management and legal services are working on making the situation clear,” the spokesperson said.

A law enforcement source told PRIME, “On Wednesday, searches are being made in St. Petersburg in Group-IB offices and other companies. Investigation activities are done under criminal cases on tax evasion.”

But Group-IB denied the information about searches in its St. Petersburg office, because it has none in this city. According to the company’s website, it has two offices in Moscow, one on the territory of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, as well as offices in the city of Innopolis in the republic of Tatarstan, Singapore, Amsterdam, and Dubai.

Business ombudsman Boris Titov said that the law enforcers should explain Sachkov’s case, otherwise it will be a critical blow to the IT sector and its investment attractiveness.

There is nothing worse than this body of a crime, because such cases are considered behind closed doors, he said.

Group-IB said in a statement that its lawyers are studying the court’s ruling.

“The employees are sure that their chief is innocent and his business reputation is fair. Group-IB’s press service does not comment on the charges and circumstances of the criminal case under the procedural actions in progress. It is stated that the company’s second founder Dmitry Volkov will head the company for the nearest time,” the company said.

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