"Pinocchio" is resting: in St. Petersburg, the theft of 2 billion gold coins from the bank is being investigated.

The court in St. Petersburg has placed under house arrest the third person involved in the criminal case of the theft of gold coins belonging to the bank, the total value of which is estimated at 2.022 billion rubles. This was reported by the head of the joint press service of the courts of the city courts of general jurisdiction Daria Lebedeva.

Account manager Daria Yerkaeva has been placed under house arrest until August 20. She, together with the head of the bank's office Inna Andreeva and manager Irina Poryvaeva, is charged under item "b" of part 4 of Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (theft on an especially large scale).

According to investigators, the head of the bank's office, Andreeva, on June 20 of this year, together with Yerkaeva and Poryvava, as well as other unidentified persons, having access to the vault, committed a secret theft of precious metal coins.

We are talking about 8,893 Pobedonostets coins in denominations of 50, 100 and 200 rubles for a total amount of 2,022 billion rubles.

"During the court session it became known that Andreeva was paying with accomplices "for help" with money. So, Yerkaeva went to bury this money because she was scared. She explained to the judge that she didn't need them (money)," Lebedeva said, joking that Pinocchio was resting.

Poryvaeva was also previously placed under house arrest until August 20. Andreeva was also taken into custody until August 20.

"George the Victorious" is the most popular investment gold or silver coin in the Russia, which came to replace the "Sower" chervonets. The mint has been producing it since 2006. In April 2023, the Central Bank announced a new issue of Pobedonostets gold coins in denominations of 50, 100 and 200 rubles.