Russian court upholds 8-year sentence for ex-MelBet CEO Igor Lyapustin

A Moscow appeals court has left in force the sentence handed to Igor Lyapustin, the former CEO of MelBet. For high-risk payment teams, the case matters because it combines a criminal conviction, asset confiscation, and a multi-billion-ruble civil claim tied to an iGaming operator’s former executive.

1. In April, the Tushinsky District Court of Moscow sentenced Lyapustin to eight years in prison and a ₽700,000 fine in a case involving large-scale embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering.
2. According to the prosecution, Lyapustin’s former partner, Alexander Gradulenko, transferred part of his assets to other people, including Lyapustin, while he himself was under criminal investigation. Gradulenko later expected the assets to be returned, but Lyapustin refused.
3. An expert assessment put the damage suffered by Gradulenko at ₽699 million.
4. The court also ordered ₽4.5 billion in property confiscation from Lyapustin and upheld Gradulenko’s civil claim for ₽6.1 billion.
5. In June 2026, Lyapustin’s defense filed an appeal asking the court to overturn the ruling, acquit him, and release him from custody. On 10 September, the Moscow City Court left the sentence unchanged, which means it has now entered into force.