MOSCOW, May 24 (RAPSI) — Lawyers of Alexander Seliverstov, ex-CEO of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, one of the country's leading space enterprises, who was sentenced to 5 years in a general regime colony for embezzlement of property using his official position, filed an appeal against the sentence, the press service of the Moscow Dorogomilovsky District court informs RAPSI.

According to the official portal of the courts of general jurisdiction, the appeal was filed the next day after the court published the sentence on May 18.

The court found Seliverstov guilty as charged and sentenced him to 5 years in a general regime colony on May 14. Additionally, the court barred him from carrying out business at state enterprises for 2 years.

Two of Seliverstov's deputies, Victor Larin and Yury Yakovlev, 4.5 years in penal colony each.

As reported earlier, in 2012 Larin signed the 290 million-ruble ($4 mln) contract with Metalresource for supplying metal for Proton and Angara booster rockets without proper auction. Later the same company received similar contracts that involved Seliverstov and deputy head Yakovlev.

Damages caused by the ex-heads of the Center have been estimated at 108 million rubles ($1,3 million).

The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is one of the country's leading space enterprises. Currently the research center’s main priority is construction of “Proton” and “Angara” space rockets. In 2014, it was revealed that enterprise faces financial troubles.