The Court of Appeal of the Tomsk Regional Court mitigated the punishment of the wife of the head of Tomsk, Ivan Klein, Galina Klein.
The mayor’s wife was accused of scratching a law enforcement officer's neck during a search in her husband’s case. In November 2021, she was sentenced to two years of probation. The higher court reduced this to one and a half years, recognizing her charitable activities and numerous awards as mitigating circumstances.
The appeal of Galina Klein, general director of Tomsk Pivo company and wife of Tomsk Mayor Ivan Klein, against the verdict of the Kirov Court in November last year, was considered by the Tomsk Regional Court on Thursday.
In November 2020, the mayor's wife scratched the neck of a law enforcement officer during a search in her husband's case. The mayor was detained on charges of malfeasance.
A criminal case was opened against Galina Klein for using violence against a representative of the authorities. She fully admitted her guilt and petitioned for the case to be considered under a simplified procedure. The Kirovsky District Court appointed her a two-year suspended sentence with a similar probationary period.
The defense appealed the decision without challenging the question of guilt. The regional court reduced Galina Klein’s suspended sentence from two to one and a half years, recognizing her participation in charitable activities and numerous awards as factors mitigating the punishment.
Lawyer Alexander Kholodov told Kommersant-Siberia that the court apparently agreed with the arguments of the defense complaint, but the issue of appealing the decision to the cassation instance will have to be resolved after studying the judicial act.
The head of Tomsk, Ivan Klein, was found guilty of abuse of power and illegal business activities. He was sentenced to two years in a penal colony and a fine of 200,000 rubles. The mayor was taken into custody in the courtroom after the announcement of the verdict. The prosecutor’s office considers the sentence too lenient and demands to toughen it, while the defense side insists on the full acquittal of the mayor.
