Sasha Varlamau released in court

Varlamau has been sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment.

However, the time he has already spent in jail has been doubled and taken into account.

Varlamau has also been forbidden to occupy executive positions for 2 years and will have to pay compensation.

"I need to learn to be free again,” the fashion designer told journalists. He also feels very happy, he added.

The prosecutor asked to return the fashion designer guilty of tax evasion and economic abuse. He asked to imprison Varlamau for five years and confiscate his property.

The defendant and his lawyer hope for acquittal. Varlamau underwent several operations on his spine in prison; he is in the 2nd disability group. The designer attended all the hearings with a walking stick. He pronounced his last plea while sitting.

The fashion designer has been jailed for over 2 years – since May 2011. His trial started in February 2013.