MOSCOW, July 17 (RAPSI) – Ex-senator of Russia Igor Izmestyev sentenced to life for organizing terror attacks has appealed a 4-year prison sentence given to his former attorney Viktor Fedorchenko for $1.5 million embezzlement, the press-service of Moscow’s Presnensky District Court has told RAPSI.

Ex-senator believes that his former attorney’s sentence is too light. Lawyers of Fedorchenko as well as prosecutors appealed the sentence too.

The court passed the judgement on the Fedorchenko in late June.

In January, the court sentenced another Izmestyev’s lawyer Sergey Leonov to 5 years in prison in this case.

According to investigators, the lawyers received $1.5 million from the former senator’s mother promising her to get a commuted sentence for Izmestyev.

In 2016, prominent Armenian businessman Levon Airapetyan received a 4-year prison term for embezzlement of $700,000 from the mother of Izmestyev. He also promised the woman mitigation of her son’s sentence.

Izmestyev, ex-senator of Bashkortostan, was arrested in January 2007. According to investigators, in 1992, Izmestyev with 12 other people organized a criminal gang that committed over 20 serious crimes, including 12 murders.

He was suspected of involvement in the attempted murder of Ural Rakhimov, a son of former President of Russia's republic of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov and ex-CEO of oil company Bashneft.

In December 2010, the Moscow City Court sentenced Izmestyev to life in prison for organizing terrorist attacks and murders.