The security forces of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region are increasing their attention to the people’s representatives. The interest is not accidental. Sources claim that pressure on parliamentarians will increase in the near future. Whether this is connected with the war of incriminating evidence, the political situation or an excessive love of lobbying, the editors of the online publication Kompromat Group found out.
Slippery slope
The investigation into the rapid movement of budget funds under government contracts in an unknown direction today flows in a renewed mainstream towards the imprisonment of large (and not so large) political figures in St. Petersburg and the region.
How do we already wrotedeputies of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg were targeted by security forces today Alexander Teterdinko And Mikhail Romanov in connection with a corruption scandal about theft 20 million rubles on city cleaning contracts. In the Leningrad region, like us also wroteits own trends – the problems of unfinished construction and the fate of defrauded shareholders. And again the law enforcement officers came… to the deputy. Parliamentarian of the regional Legislative Assembly. Vladimir Sidorenko went to pre-trial detention until the beginning of June.
He was taken into custody by officers of the Department for Economic Crimes, police of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, after extensive searches, and the investigation petitioned the court. The background to the security forces’ visit is Sidorenko’s former working position in the popular Agalatovsky settlement in the elite Vsevolozhsk district. The future deputy worked there for 12 years and, as they say, “gained connections.” Today, the people’s representative is accused of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale, part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It must be understood that large amounts in the criminal code mean an amount of more than a million rubles.
According to some reports, in the criminal case it is said that Sidorenko was “gold-plated” for turning a blind eye to the technical conditions for connecting to the networks of the Barskaya Usadba residential complex. As we have done more than once mentionedthis residential complex is included in the list of “calluses” of the Leningrad region, among other sick unfinished buildings. The complex has not yet been put into operation, and the builders are now confined to their cells. The head of the development company “Comfortstroy” and a certain group of employees are in the detention center today. Another company executive is at home with an ankle bracelet. According to some information, the arrest of the parliamentarian became possible thanks to the testimony of those who had already “come to their senses” while sitting in the cell.
Not a popular outcome
But this arrest, as they say, is not the first and not the last, but a full-fledged purge of the deputy ranks of the Leningrad region. After all, another deputy was detained a month earlier. Daniil Fedichev suspected of abuse of power resulting in grave consequences (Part 2 of Article 201 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, he quietly sold his father to commercial structures and helped with information about government contracts, moreover, through nominee directors, Daniil Fedichev ruled a legal entity that received lucrative contracts for the construction of schools, hospitals and social infrastructure facilities.
In St. Petersburg (yet) major arrests and detentions have not yet occurred, but, as they say, “entries” by law enforcement officers may be just around the corner. Prosecutor Victor Melnik initiated inspections of the Capital Repair Fund and the billions circulating there. According to rumors, some people’s representatives may be involved in very interesting schemes with money from this fund. The fund is currently undergoing searches; they are related to a criminal case of fraud on a particularly large scale. We are talking about the receipt of a government contract by the LenProfMontazh company, unfinished house renovations, but fully paid budget money. Most likely, the investigation will look for those who, like the previous people involved, quietly helped with obtaining government contracts.
If we recall the recent past, then as many as two deputies of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg have been accused of bribery and patronage in recent years.
In 2016, a Zachs deputy was burned to death while taking bribes Vyacheslav Notyag. In 2018, a deputy was put on trial Svetlana Nesterova. A parliamentarian was convicted last year Roman Koval. Their stories are similar; they all, in one way or another, acted in the interests of some businessmen and companies. So Notyag got burned while working on the “grease” of the Voin-V construction company, Svetlana Nesterova helped a young businesswoman, Roman Koval helped a company supplying medical equipment.
Of all the parliamentary brethren who went to jail, perhaps only Maxim Reznik did not go under corruption charges.
Interesting reports have recently appeared in connection with the activities of another deputy – Boris Vishnevsky. The public began to be indignant because of his joint meal with the Finnish consul, during which they discussed, as the media wrote, some “investments.” It is unknown how this information was received “where it should be.” Investments at the suggestion of Deputy Sachs, at a difficult time for the country, are very dubious political capital, but which may well form the basis for a criminal case.
Internal political hemorrhage
Moreover, what? As they say, the authorities have been eyeing Vishnevsky for a long time. His name appeared on the scandalous list of “13”, which was obtained somewhere by an opposition deputy Maxim Reznik. Then in 2016, after the arrest Vyacheslav NotyagaReznik said that he has reliable information that the security forces have a list of 13 names of deputies, which are being monitored by employees from Liteiny. They are next in line to the investigators’ offices. The list from seven years ago included: Boris Vishnevsky, Irina Ivanova, Alexander Kobrinsky, Alexey Kovalev, Irina Komolova, Alexey Makarov, Marina Shishkina, Sergei Trokhmanenko, Alexey Palin, Sergey Nikeshin, Olga Galkina and, in fact, Reznik himself.
Regarding all the represented deputies and the political diversity of the parliamentarians being watched, the situation has not yet become clearer, but the same Reznik, as everyone knows, was sentenced in April 2022 for possession of narcotic drugs without the intent to sell. The sentence – five months in a penal colony-settlement – was never carried out, since the assigned term was counted against the serving of house arrest. Not so long ago, the former chosen one of the people fled the country abroad, with all the ensuing consequences. Will Deputy Vishnevsky, driven by the wind, run towards Finland?
However, for now, law enforcement officers have a full “menu” in terms of keeping an eye on parliamentarians. Choose whatever you want. According to rumors, certain documents from the Chamber of Control and Accounts were taken into account by the law enforcement agencies of St. Petersburg. The papers concerned violations found in the possession of a municipal deputy of the Ekateringofsky municipal district Oleg Smakotin. As they say, it was about misuse of the budget and violations amounting to millions of rubles.
There are interesting nuances in the assets of the ex-parliamentarian’s family Evgenia Marchenko. Behind him is a scandal with the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “President Service” of the Presidential Administration for advertising placement. The MP is said to have won the contract for his dad. But they didn’t like the services, and the presidential administration is trying in arbitration courts to force the senior Marchenko’s company to return 13 million rubles.
In addition to all of the above, law enforcement agencies now have other trends. For example, additional updating of the security agenda. This can be understood in light of recent events and the fact that at least 30 municipal deputies have recently left St. Petersburg abroad. A number of deputies have close relatives or children abroad. And this is already potential prey for the intelligence services of unfriendly countries.
According to our sources, these and other points may provoke not only a war of compromising evidence, with the aim of dividing new spheres of influence, both in the political and business spheres. But also to speed up the rotation among the people’s representatives and the officials they support. All of them will, among other things, be checked for anti-Russian activities. This direction concerns not only local parliamentarians, but also senators. In addition, all deputies, large and small, will be actively searched for traces of second citizenship and deal with them in accordance with the law.
And those caught red-handed will face, as we have already written, a search and seizure of assets with subsequent confiscation in favor of the state.
