Anna Sungurova

 

Anna Sungurova is a criminal defense attorney based in Saint Petersburg, specializing in the defense of individuals accused of economic and corruption-related crimes. She handles cases involving illegal banking activities and cash-out schemes, improper payment transactions and capital extraction, money laundering, large-scale fraud, and other economic offenses. Her track record includes three acquittals.

 

Legal Specialization

• Criminal law and criminal procedure.
• Defense in economic and corruption-related criminal cases: illegal banking activities and cash-out schemes, money laundering, improper payment transactions and cross-border capital extraction using forged documents, fraud, bribery (giving and receiving), and official misconduct.
• Criminal-law protection of businesses. Representation of victims in criminal proceedings.
• Comprehensive support in interactions with government authorities.

Education

• In 2013, graduated with honors from the North-Western Branch of the Russian State University of Justice (recognized as the top graduate of her class).

Key Achievements

• Three acquittals rendered by professional judges.
• Numerous dismissals of criminal cases, including on exonerating grounds.
• Multiple reversals of convictions on appeal.

Anna is the recipient of numerous awards from the Saint Petersburg Bar Association, including an Honorary Diploma for securing an acquittal.

Professional Experience

Anna has been practicing law since 2011 and has held the status of attorne since 2014. She has repeatedly headed criminal-law practice groups within bar associations and has extensive experience building and leading teams of attorneys. Her caseload includes numerous high-profile and precedent-setting trials.

Her primary focus is defending clients accused of economic crimes. Core areas of expertise include cases involving illegal banking activities, money laundering, large-scale fraud, and corruption. Anna's clients include prominent business leaders, government officials, public figures, and members of Russia's elite.

She develops and applies unconventional defense strategies, identifying effective and non-obvious practical solutions in complex procedural situations.

Working principle: "If there is no favorable precedent, I will create one."

Most Significant Cases

• Secured an acquittal in a high-profile criminal case. The client was charged with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in death (Part 4 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The defense successfully proved that the victim's death resulted from non-traumatic causes. The case was under the supervision of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and received extensive media coverage. Additionally, during the trial, the defense successfully petitioned to change the client's pretrial measure of restraint from detention to a restriction on certain activities.
• Secured an acquittal in a fraud case involving so-called "staged car accidents." The defense proved that the client had voluntarily renounced the commission of the crime, leading to acquittal.
• Secured an acquittal in a large-scale fraud case against PJSC Sberbank of Russia.
• Secured the dismissal of three criminal cases involving bribery charges (Part 3 of Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
• Led a team of attorneys in defending a large-scale fraud case**. As a result, the conviction was overturned, three convicted individuals were released from custody in the appellate courtroom, and the case was remanded to the prosecutor.
• Provided defense in a high-profile criminal case against an entrepreneur known in the media as the "aluminum king."
• Led a comprehensive defense in criminal cases involving officials of the State Unitary Enterprise "Vodokanal of Saint Petersburg." Secured a change in the measure of restraint from detention to a written undertaking to appear.
• Defended an individual accused of embezzling state budget funds and causing over 300 million rubles in damages to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation during preparations for the construction of a strategic facility.
• Secured the reversal of a conviction and exemption from criminal liability in a fraud case involving the creation of a financial pyramid (LLC "UK Fond Maguta").
• Secured the dismissal of a criminal case on exonerating grounds involving charges of narcotics smuggling.
• Secured a record-breaking moral damages award in Russia against a taxi service company in favor of traffic accident victims.
• Led a team of attorneys representing and defending a major international certification company and one of the largest waste-processing plants in Russia.
• Has successful experience filing petitions with the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.

Public, Teaching, and Academic Activities

• Chair of the Commission for Cultural, Mass, and Sports Activities of the Council of the Saint Petersburg Bar Association.
• Founder and head of Generation, an association of attorneys from various bar associations.
• Author and instructor of training programs for attorneys and business professionals on topics including: criminal defense best practices, criminal-law protection of businesses, minimizing criminal-law risks, digital security, the use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, unconventional methods of protecting clients' rights and interests, and more.
• Regular speaker at seminars, conferences, forums, and other business and legal events.
• Author of articles and commentaries for legal and business media outlets.
• Co-author of academic publications in the journal "Criminal Procedure."