MOSCOW, July 13 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) – A court in the Amur Region has sentenced ex-head of three utilities managing companies Viktor Smerdov to 5 years in prison for embezzling 35 million rubles ($538,400), according to the regional Prosecutor's Office.

Smerdov is also to pay the damages in full.

A court established that in 2012 Viktor Smerdov, acting as a head of three utilities management companies, has transferred 35 million rubles, allocated for utilities payments, to the accounts of several phony companies. This transfer was masked as payments for fake utilities contracts.