State treason charged against cybersecurity Group-IB CEO, Ilya Sachkov

October 7, 2021
State treason charged cyber security Group-IB CEO Ilya Sachkov

A file of state treason was charged against Ilya Sachkov, Group-IB’s co-founder and chief executive officer. The arrest happened on Tuesday at the office of Group-IB in Moscow. The law enforcement operated a property and office search on the same day, as confirmed by the cybersecurity company.

Group-IB is one of the biggest Russian cybersecurity firms that focus on high-tech cybercrime investigations.

According to Group-IB, it was unclear why the law enforcers had to search their offices at that time. And even though the cybersecurity company has confirmed the arrest of Ilya Sachkov, they are confident that the accused CEO is innocent.

From a report of TASS, a Russian news agency, they mentioned that an anonymous source had spilled a report that the executive’s arrest is based on allegations concerning state treason. In addition to the state treason case, reports say Sachkov has transferred classified information to an unidentified foreign government. However, the executive strongly denies these claims by emphasizing that he is not guilty of handing over any intelligence data to other special foreign services.

 

No further information was given regarding the state treason charge against the cybersecurity executive as it is a confidential issue.

 

Because of the ongoing procedural activities and due process of law, the communications team of Group-IB refrains from giving additional comments and information about the charges against Sachkov.

If convicted, the cybersecurity executive can be imprisoned for 20 years for the state treason charges. Although as per court order, he will be kept under two-month custody for now.

 

Nevertheless, the company believes that Ilya Sachkov is innocent against state treason accusations and honors his integrity in business and the country.

 

Now 35, Sachkov founded the Group-IB in 2003. The executive was also listed on the Forbes Under-30 entrepreneur category in its 2016 edition and has met with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president.

Group-IB is currently headquartered in Singapore. It generally provides services for its clients to prevent and investigate cases of cyberattacks. The company’s customers vary from Russian banks, defense firms, and Interpol.

Dmitry Volkov, Group-IB’s co-founder, will be undertaking the company’s leadership throughout Sachkov’s absence. The firm’s lawyers will be on-hand regarding the case. The divisions of Group-IB will continue their operations as normal, as per the cybersecurity company.

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