For several weeks in a row, the case of Mikhail Efremov remained in the focus of our attention. Some feared that fame and regalia would save the celebrity from a just punishment, others believed that their idol would still not go to the colony. Today, the court sentenced the actor to 8 years in prison. Can the punishment be just? Our expert comments.
On September 8, 2020, the Presnensky Court of Moscow sentenced the actor Mikhail Efremov, finding him guilty of a fatal accident. The prosecutors requested 11 years, but in the end the actor received 8 years in a penal colony. He was also deprived of his driver’s license for 3 years. I consider this decision absolutely fair and humane.
Yes, the fact that Efremov was not given the maximum term is really humane, moreover, it is determined by quite understandable extenuating circumstances: the presence of three young children, health problems and state awards that the actor received for his merits.
The game that developed against the backdrop of this whole process seemed to be an attempt to portray the efforts of a lawyer in the initially losing position of the accused. And I am glad that the story “I am not me, the car is not mine” was not believed, all attempts to prove it were rejected, and the guilty person received, of course, a completely fair retribution for the crime that he committed.
Publicity and popularity involve great responsibility
I would like to note that Efremov’s consciousness at the time of the accident could not be «clouded» (as the lawyers tried to assert). Because, strictly speaking, it was changed before the accident, before when he got behind the wheel on the background of alcohol and drug intoxication. And it is important to understand that in this situation, it was not the accident that led to changes in consciousness, but the state in which he was, became the cause of the tragedy.
The famous actor was convicted as a citizen of the country, and this confirms that everyone is equal before the law.
It is interesting that abroad there is often a practice in which public people often receive more severe punishment than ordinary citizens, the middle class. Precisely because publicity and popularity involve great responsibility. Often, someone looks up to these people, someone considers them idols.
In the situation with Mikhail Efremov, the trial was adequate and quick, and the verdict was fair.