On October 20, 2020, the Russian Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal and upheld the acquittal of Ilya Averyanov, ex-owner of Menshevik Confectionary. The client was represented by WCC attorneys of EPAM.

Mr Averyanov was arrested two years ago on charges of murdering a guard, however EPAM attorneys managed to prove that an attempted hostile takeover of Menshevik Confectionary was the true reason for the tragedy. Thanks to a well-formulated line of defense, on January 28, 2020, jurors found Mr Averyanov not guilty of murder, and on February 10, 2020, the Moscow City Court acquitted the businessman for lack of evidence, in reliance on the verdict by the jury. The court also acknowledged his right to rehabilitation. On April 22, 2020, the First Appellate Court upheld the sentence.

The Client was represented by the Firm’s WCC team, including Counsel Andrey Bastrakov, as well as Associates Maria Zazirnaya and Anton Lubimov, under the supervision of Partner Victoria Burkovskaya who heads the WCC Practice.

“The Supreme Court agreed with the defense and upheld the acquittal by the jury,” says Attorney Andrey Bastrakov.