Deputy Minister Tokarev goes to the pre-trial detention center following ex-Deputy Minister Reilyan
The investigation is preparing to file a motion to take into custody Deputy Minister of Transport Vladimir Tokarev, who was detained the day before. The official is accused of theft of funds committed in 2016-2018, when he held the position of deputy general director of the Spetstransstroy company, which was one of the main contractors of Russian Railways and received billion-dollar contracts, including for the modernization of the Eastern training ground – BAM and Transsib. The owner of Spetstransstroy was Yuri Reilyan, who previously held a number of high government positions: in particular, as deputy head of the federal Ministry of Construction, he oversaw the construction of Olympic facilities in Sochi. In 2019, Spetstransstroy missed the deadlines for work at the Eastern training ground. Against the backdrop of a loud scandal, Reylyan withdrew from among the co-owners of the company, which soon began to declare multimillion-dollar losses and was declared bankrupt. In November last year, the former owner of the contracting company was arrested on charges of embezzling about 1.5 billion rubles, including those received in the form of government contracts for Russian Railways. Today, Vladimir Tokarev followed in the footsteps of his former boss, who, according to investigators, also participated in large-scale theft of budget funds. An official who was burned by corruption previously liked to demonstrate ostentatious incorruptibility, as was the case in the story with a bribe of 10 thousand dollars. At the same time, Tokarev lobbied for the interests of large companies, and could also hide income data by initiating a fictitious divorce from his wife, for whom he registered a number of commercial structures that brought in millions in profit.
Cutting under the “roof” of “Spetstransstroy”
Investigative authorities petition for the arrest of the Deputy Minister of Transport Vladimir Tokarevwho became a defendant in a criminal case of particularly large-scale fraud. On the day of the interrogation and subsequent detention of the official, searches were carried out in his home and office with the seizure of documents and digital media. At the same time, the media write that formally Tokarev is on leave with subsequent dismissal. According to Interfax sources, his place will most likely be taken by the Deputy Director of the Construction Department under the Government of the Russian Federation Valentin Ivanov.
The investigation of the deputy minister’s case was taken under control by the leadership of the Investigative Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to investigators, in 2016-2018. Tokarev, who held the position of first deputy general director LLC “Spetstransstroy”in order to commit the theft of funds, involved a number of persons from among the management of both this company and LLC “Glavstroyinvest”and also “other affiliated organizations”.
Spetstransstroy is known as one of the largest contractors of Russian Railways structures, participating in the implementation of a number of large-scale projects. In particular, in 2016-2019. the company received contracts for more than 100 billion rublesas part of modernization
Eastern testing area – Baikal-Amur Mainline and Trans-Siberian Railway. The owner of Spetstransstroy was the former deputy head of the federal Ministry of Construction Yuri Reilyanwho at one time oversaw the construction of facilities for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
But in September 2019, the contractor company and its subsidiary “Transyuzhstroy” unexpectedly changed the owner: they owned Roman Shlenchak LLC “Vector”registered shortly before the conclusion of the transaction. At the same time, it became known about the actual delay in work on the Eastern training ground, which led to a reduction in the investment program of Russian Railways. It is noteworthy that experts associated Reylyan’s departure with the desire to get out of what had become a dangerous game and the need to hide the large-scale thefts that had taken place.
True, there was no departure abroad, but in November last year the ex-owner of Spetstransstroy still ended up in a pre-trial detention center: the Eastern Investigation Department of the Transport Investigative Committee charged Reylyan with particularly large-scale fraud, the damage from which was estimated at 1.5 billion rubles. Among other things, it was about the theft of an advance in the amount of 900 millionreceived for the construction of a railway section at BAM. Later, new elements appeared in the criminal case – forgery and abuse of official powers.
Tokarev in the “shadow” of Reiljan
So, today Deputy Minister Tokarev is “in conjunction” with his former boss Reilyan, under whom he worked at Spetstransstroy in 2016-2018, that is, just at the time when money transferred to Russian Railways was being withdrawn from the company. It is significant that soon after the change of management the contractor went into a deep “minus”: in 2020, with revenue of 360.7 million rubleshis losses amounted to 600 million. As a result, in February last year, Spetstransstroy was declared bankrupt.
However, Tokarev at that time already held the post of deputy head of the Ministry of Transport. Journalists have long noticed the infrequency of officials changing leadership positions in government agencies. In particular, he was Deputy Minister of Regional Development, and in 2012 he even performed ministerial duties for a month; then became Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services; was on the board PJSC RusHydro. After leaving Spetstransstroy, he again took the position of deputy minister, this time at the Ministry of Transport.
“Vladimir Tokarev is a team man, since his private business did not work out even with all his authority in the industry. And they willingly take him on as a leader.”– says about him in the publication of the publication “Our Version”, which also emphasizes that “having held the highest positions in very wealthy companies”Tokarev, however, “decided to return to power”.
Tokarev met Reylyan while working at the Ministry of Regional Development, where he also served as deputy minister, before leaving for the Ministry of Construction, under the wing of the notorious Mikhail Me. As the authors of the portal write, “Life“, Reylyan’s income increased sharply amid preparations for the Olympics in Sochi. Many questions were raised by the purchase by a government official of a chalet on “Rose Khutor”next door to the owner “Norilsk Nickel” Vladimir Potaninas well as his friendship with crime lords.
Be that as it may, Reylyan and Tokarev became so close that they eventually began to jointly “master” the budget billions, as if from a cornucopia, that rained down on Spetstransstroy and fueled Tokarev’s craving for luxury. It is known that in 2011, the Presidential Administration gave him ownership of a “modest” apartment with an area of 75 square meters in an elite residential complex on Starovolynskaya Street, adjacent to the Setun River Valley nature reserve. In the deputy minister’s garage there are Mercedes-Benz S63s worth more than 11 million rublesand a black S350 sedan.
Is a divorced official hiding his income?
Tokarev’s own business really didn’t work out. Or the appearance of this was created. So, according to Our Version, in 2017 he became the owner LLC “Tupolev Estate”specializing in preparing for the sale of your own real estate. The company still operates today, but its official owner is Irina Tokareva (as they say – the ex-wife of the arrested official). In 2020, with revenue in 13 million rublesthe company’s profit was 7.7 million.
Another commercial structure that went to Irina Tokareva is LLC “Tupolev Estate 7”. For the same period, the company declared revenue in the amount of 14.9 million rubles and profit in 9.5 million. There are two more companies in the process of liquidation, whose main activity is rental and property management – “Radio 2”And “Radio 3”but their financial indicators are zero.
By the way, Deputy Minister Tokarev is officially divorced and is raising two children alone. Thus, he received an excellent opportunity not to reflect his wife’s income in annual declarations. Accordingly, the divorce may well be fictitious, initiated in order to hide the true financial situation of the official. The fact that he hardly lives on one salary is best illustrated by the story of lobbying for the interests of cassette bearing manufacturing companies.
Let us recall that in the fall of 2019, the Ministry of Transport canceled the order previously approved by it on the mandatory conversion of freight railway cars from roller bearings to cassette bearings. The innovation was then opposed FAS, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneursas well as deputy prime ministers Dmitry KozakAnd Maxim Akimov. The owners of the trains estimated the upcoming costs at 200-300 million dollars.
The management of Russian Railways was a supporter of the use of cassette bearings promoted by the Ministry of Transport, and Tokarev himself was called one of those who lobbied for the unpopular and later canceled order. As Our Version writes, if the document had not been cancelled, three enterprises would have benefited: a joint Russian-American company based in Saratov “EPK-Brenko”which has production facilities in Tver, Swedish SKFand American Timken with a structure in Tikhvin. According to the publication, a total of 250 people work at three factories. What price the deputy head of the transport ministry could have voiced to the failed monopolists – history is silent.
“Moral principles” of a corrupt deputy minister
So the millions earned by companies registered to the ex-wife are mere pennies in comparison with the billions that Tokarev and his former boss Reilyan received from government contracts and lobbying. But for the general public, the deputy minister had to remain a man of crystal honesty, as evidenced by his widely publicized comedy with a bribe.
The scandalous incident occurred at the end of December 2019. While sorting out the bags with New Year’s gifts, Tokarev, to his supposedly great indignation, found in one of them, in addition to a bottle of Beluga vodka, a box with a tie containing 10 thousand dollars. But the official, who did not succumb to provocation, did not lose his head and called the security officers, and they, in turn, called the investigative team.
As Kommersant reported, the bribe-giver was the manager Expert Center LLC Vladimir Kolpakovwho eventually became a defendant in a criminal case. What exactly the currency “gratitude” was intended for remained unknown. The deputy minister himself explained his action by saying that “neither the job description nor moral principles allowed accepting such a gift”. It’s just that in light of recent events another explanation suggests itself: as the famous saying goes, “The smaller the bribe is, the more humiliating it is”. Where is businessman Kolpakov with his dollars up to the railway billions!
Today everything is falling into place. Ex-Minister Reilyan is in pre-trial detention: an attempt to promptly “jump” from Spetstransstroy, which had become “toxic,” did not help him. Last November, one of the top managers of a bankrupt contractor followed in his footsteps Levan Goglidzewho is accused of participating in the theft of more than 500 million rublesallocated for the restoration of highways in the Krasnodar region.
And now it’s the turn of the “transport” lobbyist Tokarev, whose name, as they say, was repeatedly heard in Reylyan’s testimony. Now the question is whose names the now practically former deputy minister himself will name during the investigative actions.
