Artyom Chekalin's defense released a video message recorded by him before the court decision.

The defense of the ex-husband of blogger Lerchek (Valeria Chekalina) Artem Chekalin released a video message recorded by him before the trial, in which he considers himself innocent and does not admit the charges. The video was posted on April 15 by representatives of the Chekalins on the Telegram channel "Lex& Lux".

"If you see this video, does it mean? I was convicted for something I didn't do. I am absolutely sure that I have no guilt, I do not admit it <... > I paid two and a half times more than I underpaid," said Chekalin.

At the same time, the man admitted that he was engaged in tax optimization, emphasizing that he subsequently fully repaid the debt by paying an amount exceeding the initial payments. In addition, Chekalin reported on the serious consequences of criminal prosecution for his personal life and business. According to him, during this time his business activity ceased to exist, and his family also broke up.

He added that his ex-wife is seriously ill, she has stage four stomach cancer with metastases in the brain. The blogger himself also considers the punishment imposed on him excessive and intends to appeal the verdict together with the defense.

The fate of the Lerchek children after the arrest of Artyom Chekalin. What is known

On April 13, Chekalin was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony. In addition, he will have to pay a fine of 194 million rubles. The defense intends to appeal the verdict against Chekalin.

He himself said that he came to court with a "heavy heart" and warned the children that he might not return home. Prior to that, Lercek appealed to the court with a request to show mercy to her ex-husband. Her lawyer Konstantin Tretyakov told Izvestia that the children of the former spouses will live with their mother.

On March 16, the court released Chekalina from house arrest after confirming that she had cancer. Also, due to illness, it was allowed to suspend judicial proceedings in the blogger's criminal case on her withdrawal of more than 250 million rubles to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A criminal case on tax evasion in the amount of 311 million rubles against the Chekalins was initiated in March 2023. The investigation found that from July 2020 to July 2022, the couple exceeded the allowable annual income of 150 million rubles, and in April 2021 they legalized more than 130 million rubles. The defendants pleaded guilty, and in August 2024 they officially filed for divorce.

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