Vladimir Richagov, a worker at a factory in the Russian city of Khanty-Mansiysk, has ended up in court with his company for failing to return millions of rubles mistakenly deposited into his account. The incident began at the start of 2025 when, in addition to his earned vacation pay of 46,954 rubles, an extra 7,112,254 rubles were transferred to Richagov's bank account.
The payment, which corresponds to approximately 87,000 dollars, quickly turned from what the worker claimed he thought was a "bonus" into a legal dispute. Richagov argued that after a successful year at the factory, there were rumors that employees would receive high-value bonuses, and therefore he thought the money had been sent to him as a reward.
The company's accounting department contacted Richagov shortly after, informing him that the payment was made in error and requesting a refund. However, instead of returning the money, the worker bought a new car and moved to another city with his family.
COURTS RULED IN FAVOR OF THE COMPANY
According to documents submitted to the court by the company, the amount transferred to Richagov's account consisted of the salaries of 34 people working at another branch. It was stated that the payment was directed to the wrong account due to a software error.
Richagov, on the other hand, said that based on his internet research, he had concluded that he was not obligated to return money transferred as a result of a technical error. He also cited the fact that the payment was made on behalf of the company with the description "salary" as one of the grounds for his defense.
While the company filed a lawsuit during the process, Richagov's bank accounts were frozen. It was reported that the fraud complaint filed against the worker was dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
The court of first instance and the appellate court ruled in favor of the company. The courts stated that Richagov had no outstanding receivables from the employer at the end of the relevant period and ruled that the payment exceeding 7 million rubles could not be considered salary.
Following the rejection of Richagov's appeal, the file was moved to the Supreme Court of Russia. It was reported that the application has been taken under review. Company manager Roman Tudakov stated that there was no bonus payment involved, that the transaction was made by mistake, and that they would pursue the matter through legal channels.
News Source: 12punto
