Criminal Code of Russia
As of 24 December 2010, six of the nine accused had pleaded guilty. One of them, Andrei Lunev, a Russian citizen, was believed to have made a plea bargain with the Russian prosecution service. He was tried with no contest and was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on 7 May 2010. According to the [[Criminal Code of Russia]] such an offence is punishable by 5 to 10 years imprisonment, but the maximum term is increased to 15 years if an act of piracy is performed by an organised group.