A corrupt bank official who accepted more than £2million in bribes in return for approving large loans has been jailed for six years today (June 20).
Andrey Ryjenko, 44, was convicted of conspiring to make or accept corrupt payments following a five-week trial at the Central Criminal Court.
The trial heard that Ryjenko, who has joint UK and Russian citizenship, was employed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in a role which required him to consider equity investment and loan applications from firms.
He accepted bribes totalling over $3.5 million between July 2008 and November 2009 which were paid into bank accounts in the name of his sister Tatjana Sanderson.
Ms Sanderson was declared unfit to stand trial but the jury considered her role under a ‘trial of fact’ and decided she was involved in the corruption.
Elspeth Pringle, from the CPS, said:
“Andrey Ryjenko repeatedly abused his position of power within a publicly-funded bank by accepting corrupt payments.
“Despite his efforts to disguise his crimes, the prosecution was able to present a compelling case to the jury, resulting in his conviction and today’s jail sentence.
“This conviction was made possible through effective cross-border partnerships between a number of jurisdictions, including the United States.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
Andrey Ryjenko was convicted of:
- conspiring to make and accept corrupt payments - sentence six years in prison
- concealing, disguising, converting and transferring criminal property (money laundering) - sentence two years in prison (concurrent)
· Elspeth Pringle is a Specialist Prosecutor with the CPS Specialist Fraud Division
