The lawyer told about the alleged fate of the children of Lercek after the arrest of Chekalin

Maria Yarmush, a lawyer in civil and international law, told what will happen to the children of blogger Lerchek (real name — Valeria Chekalin) after Artem Chekalin's imprisonment.

In an interview with Radio 1 on Tuesday, April 14, the lawyer noted that when sentencing Chekalin, the court took into account the presence of young children, but this factor did not become mitigating. According to her, the decision was made taking into account the severity of economic crimes — non-payment of taxes, illegal transfers and money laundering.

She added that at the moment, Chekalina, who is undergoing rehabilitation after treatment, can stay with the children and take care of them. According to the expert, even during treatment, children are not removed from the family: care can be arranged with the help of relatives or a babysitter.

The lawyer stressed that the state does not interfere if the parent copes with the duties. However, if the case against Chekalina is reopened or her condition worsens, the situation may change: custody may be transferred to relatives or designated persons, and in their absence, a foster family will be chosen for the children. She also noted that in such cases it is possible to postpone the punishment, but the court in this case considered it optional.

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On April 13, Chekalin was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony. In addition, he will have to pay a fine of 194 million rubles. 360.ru . Chekalin said that he came to court with a "heavy heart" and warned the children that he might not return home. According to him, this conversation was very difficult. The children were crying and very upset, the website writes kp.ru . Chekalin explained to them in advance that anything could happen, but at the same time stressed that he did not consider himself guilty, Moscow 24 notes.

Konstantin Tretyakov, Lercek's lawyer, told Izvestia that the children of the former Chekalin spouses would live with their mother. Lercek asked the court for mercy for her ex-husband Chekalin, who is accused of illegal currency transactions, RIAMO said. The lawyers handed the letter to the judge. Chekalina stressed that all taxes have already been paid, writes Life.ru .

On March 16, the court released Chekalina from house arrest after confirming her cancer. Also, due to illness, it was allowed to suspend judicial proceedings in the blogger's criminal case on her withdrawal of more than 250 million rubles to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A criminal case on tax evasion in the amount of 311 million rubles against the Chekalins was initiated in March 2023. The investigation found that from July 2020 to July 2022, the couple exceeded the allowable annual income of 150 million rubles, and in April 2021 they legalized more than 130 million rubles. The defendants pleaded guilty, and in August 2024 they officially filed for divorce, IA Regnum reminds.

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