Ilya Sachkov, the founder and CEO of Group-IB, was detained for two months on suspicion of treason, according to the press office of Moscow’s Lefortovo court, Kommersant said. The decision was taken on the previous day, September 28.
Mr. Sachkov faces up to 20 years in jail under the clause on treason. According to the Kremlin, the case has nothing to do with the business and investment environment.
Group-IB develops information security software, works with law enforcement agencies to investigate cyber events, and offers services to safeguard intellectual property on the Internet. Group-IB solutions are utilized by Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, MegaFon, Rostec, and other businesses, according to their own statistics.
“In the case of Ilya Konstantinovich Sachkov, who is accused of committing a crime under Art. 275 of the Russian Federation’s Criminal Code, a preventative measure in the form of incarceration for one month 30 days, that is, until November 27, 2021, ” it was reported. According to a TASS source, Mr. Sachkov denies providing sensitive material to foreign intelligence.
Earlier, the media cited sources to report on Ilya Sachkov’s arrest. In addition to him, Dmitry Volkov, another Group-IB co-owner, has ceased interacting. On the night of September 29, a search was conducted at the company’s office. Nika Komarova, a Group-IB spokeswoman, acknowledged operational measures, although she said that they ceased on the evening of September 28. It was difficult for the business to disclose the reasons for the search.
Later, business workers informed RTVI that the search was conducted by FSB agents. According to Group IB’s press service, all customers are still being serviced on a regular basis, and attorneys and senior management are trying to explain the issue with the search.
According to the Kommersant reporter, there are no apparent operating activities in the Group-IB office on Sharikopodshipnikovskaya Street (Dubrovka metro station) today, September 29. The Progress Plaza business center’s eighth, ninth, and tenth levels house the office.
Three guys were standing in the hall, discussing Mr. Sachkov, with no weapons visible. In the coffee shop housed in the business center’s building, there is a barista. He informed the Kommersant reporter that he began working at 9:00 a.m. and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
An employee of the business centar’s pass bureau informed Kommersant that Group IB workers did not come to the office since they operate remotely. He couldn’t recall when they were switched to remote mode of operation.
