The former head of the village of Elbrus was convicted of land fraud.

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A court in Maykop found the former head of the village of Elbrus, Uzeir Kurdanov, and local resident Larisa Kadyrova guilty of fraud involving a plot of land in the Elbrus National Park and sentenced them to prison terms.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in March, police placed Murat Efendiyev, former deputy chairman of the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, on the wanted list. Investigators believe Efendiyev may be involved in fraud involving a 6-square-kilometer plot of land in the Elbrus region, with damages estimated at 31 million rubles. In June, the Russian Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Efendiyev in absentia. In September, the case of Uzeir Kurdanov, former head of the Elbrus village administration, and Larisa Kadyrova, who are defendants in the case, was sent to the Maykop City Court.

On December 26, the Maykop City Court sentenced Uzeyir Kurdanov, the former head of the Elbrus village administration, and Larisa Kadyrova, a resident, in a case of fraud involving a hotel plot, Interfax reports, citing the press service of the Adygea Prosecutor's Office.

Kurdanov was found guilty under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (fraud) and Item "c" of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code (abuse of office with grave consequences) and sentenced to five years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony and a fine of 400,000 rubles. He is also banned from holding leadership positions for two years. Kadyrova was found guilty under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (fraud) and paragraphs "a" and "b" of Part 4 of Article 174.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (laundering property acquired through the commission of a crime, organized by a group on an especially large scale). She was also sentenced to five years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony and a fine of 500,000 rubles. The issue of returning the land to state ownership is currently being resolved. The criminal cases against the remaining band members have been separated into separate proceedings.