Rolf Dealership Founder Jailed 9 Years in Absentia

Aug. 17, 2026 Sergei Petrov. Video grab / YouTube A judge in Moscow sentenced the founder of Russia’s largest car dealership and ex-lawmaker Sergei Petrov to nine years in prison in absentia after finding him guilty of using fake documents to smuggle billions of rubles out of the country. Petrov, a billionaire who served in the lower-house State Duma between 2006 and 2016 as a member of the left-leaning A Just Russia party, was accused along with a group of accomplices of using fake documents to transfer around 4 billion rubles ($47 million) to a Cyprus-registered company in 2014. In addition to prison time, a judge fined him 800,000 rubles ($9,400) on Monday. The exiled businessman, who currently lives in Austria, has previously denied the charges against him and accused authorities in Russia of seeking to punish him for his opposition to the Kremlin. Petrov openly supported anti-government protests against President Vladimir Putin’s re-election in 2011-12. He also voted against a law that banned U.S. citizens from adopting Russian children and abstained from the vote on the 2014 annexation of Crimea. The judge in Moscow on Monday also sentenced Tatyana Lukovetskaya, former CEO of the Rolf dealership network, and Georgiy Kafkalia, director of the Cypriot firm Panabel Limited, to 8.5 years in prison in absentia each for their alleged involvement in the smuggling scheme. Prosecutors accused the group of funneling proceeds from Rolf’s commercial operations to Panabel Limited with the help of a forged agreement that allowed the purchase of Rolf Estate shares at a vastly inflated price. In December 2023, Putin ordered the state seizure of Rolf from Cypriot entity Delance Limited and Rolf Motors — marking one of the first major confiscations of a Russian-owned business amid broader state asset seizures following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Earlier that same year, a judge sentenced Rolf’s former business development chief, Anatoly Kairo, to 8.5 years in prison on smuggling charges. Forbes last ranked Petrov as Russia’s 127th richest businessman in 2021, estimating his net worth at $950 million at the time. Read more about: Court cases Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Opposition Politician Shlosberg Returned to House Arrest Pending ‘Discreditation’ Trial The Pskov City Court had ruled earlier this week to impose a ban on certain activities instead of continuing Lev Shlosberg’s house arrest. 2 Min read Moscow Court Jails Estonian Museum Director in Absentia Over Anti-Putin Banner Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova first drew attention in 2023 for hanging a banner on the walls of Narva Castle, which overlooks the Russian border town of... 1 Min read Urals Businessman Arrested as Prosecutors Move to Seize Utility Companies Police reportedly arrested Urals businessman Alexei Bobrov in Moscow and transferred him to the city of Yekaterinburg for questioning. 1 Min read Georgia Jails Russian Protest Couple 8.5 Years on Drug Charges Anastasia Zinovkina and Artyom Gribul were arrested in December 2024 during anti-government protests in Tbilisi. 1 Min read