On June 16, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation amended the 2002 resolution regarding judicial practice in cases of theft, robbery, and assault. Digital rubles, digital rights, and digital currency were added to the list of theft subjects, according to RAPSI.
The Supreme Court also clarified that the theft of non-cash funds is considered complete once the money is debited from the victim’s account.
In cases of theft from a bank account or electronic funds, the court should recognize only non-cash funds in accounts or electronic money as the subject of such crimes.
If money from one victim is stolen through multiple consecutive transactions but is part of a single intent, it should be treated as a continuous crime.
The Plenum approved the document unanimously.
Annually, more than 26,000 people in Russia are convicted for theft from bank accounts or involving electronic funds, reported TASS citing judicial statistics.
This is not the first resolution by the Russian Supreme Court regarding cryptocurrencies. In June 2023, the court recognized the conversion of bitcoins into rubles as money laundering, and in May 2024, it mandated the verification of ownership of crypto wallets in legal proceedings.
