A lawyer assessed the situation with embezzlement in the implementation of the Pushkin Map program

Embezzlement in the implementation of the Pushkin Card federal program reveals vulnerabilities in the electronic platforms of government programs, practicing lawyer Ekaterina Kutuzova told Izvestia. In her opinion, the key to preventing such offenses may be stricter monitoring and control.

Earlier, on December 5, it was reported that the Basmanny court of Moscow sentenced to imprisonment for a term of four to six years and large compensations for material damage the defendants in the case of embezzlement in the implementation of the federal program "Pushkin Card". The court found the organizers of the embezzlement scheme - Viktor Yakubov, Ilya Safonov and Emil Gurbanov - guilty of fraud on a particularly large scale committed by an organized group.

"From an economic perspective, this fraud exposes vulnerabilities in the electronic platforms of government programs. Such schemes show how deficiencies in spending controls can be used to illegally cash out funds. Current technologies should be enhanced with additional security measures to prevent the exploitation of such loopholes," Kutuzova said.

The lawyer expressed the opinion that the key to preventing such offenses could be stricter monitoring and control. Comparing it with other cases of fraud with state programs, she specified that there is a need to introduce stricter regulation.

"As for the likelihood of soon release of the defendants in the case, much depends on the circumstances of the case. One thing I can say is that the sanction of the article under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 10 years with a fine of up to 1 million rubles or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to three years or without it and with restraint of liberty for up to two years or without it," she concluded.

Culturally imprisoned: the court gave a soft sentence to the "Pushkin cards" embezzlers

How the scheme worked to withdraw money allocated to a popular federal program

Earlier, July 30, it was reported that in Russia proposed to create an analog of the "Pushkin card" in sports. Such an initiative was shared by Olympic champion, first Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova.