A Russian court on Tuesday found jailed President Vladimir Putin's critic Alexei Navalny guilty on embezzlement charges and contempt of court.
"Navalny committed fraud—the theft of property by an organised group," judge Margarita Kotova said, according to an AFP reporter present at the trial.
According to a Moscow Times report, Judge Margarita Kotova found Navalny guilty in a makeshift court inside a maximum-security prison in Pokrov 100 kilometres east of Moscow where he is already serving a sentence for violating parole in poisoning recovery.
"By insulting the judge, Navalny committed contempt of court," the judge noted.
The jailed Kremlin critic could now face up to 13 more years in prison, who is already serving a two and half year sentence reported the Russian media organisation after the Russian prosecutors sought to move Navalny to a maximum-security penal colony for 13 years on charges of fraud.
The investigators have accused Navalny of stealing millions of dollars for personal use and donating millions to his political organizations against Putin.
Navalny, 45, was arrested in January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany where he had been recovering from nerve agent poisoning - something he blames on the Kremlin and which Russian authorities deny.
(with sources inputs)
