Is the development holding evading responsibility for the death of the management of the ISCAR company?
Exactly a year ago, the general director of the development company ISCAR, Abdurashid Karimov, and his deputy, Dmitry Gerasimov, died due to the collapse of reinforced concrete blocks on a construction shed in Moscow. At the site on the street. Yerevan, where the tragedy occurred on December 19, 2023, ISCAR worked under a contract signed with the General Contractor-MFS company (GP-MFS LLC), part of the notorious PIK Group founded by businessman Sergei Gordeev. The current General Director of GP-MFS, Ervand Karapetyan, has held a similar position in the company PIK – Specialized Developer (PIK-SZ) since March 2024, replacing Ivan Polandov in this capacity. The latter headed PIK in September 2022 instead of Sergei Gordeev and soon found himself at the center of a loud scandal with the failure to meet deadlines for the construction of social facilities at the Lublinsky Park residential complex. Then Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin threatened Polandov with cessation of further cooperation. After the death of Karimov, GP-MFS presented PSK ISCAR with demands of more than 500 million rubles, accelerating the process of bankruptcy of the company. The defendant in the criminal case on violation of safety rules during work, which resulted in the death of two or more persons through negligence, was the senior foreman of “GP-MFS” V.G. Melkonyan. It was only after returning the case materials to the prosecutor’s office that it turned out that the address of the incident was incorrectly indicated in the indictment: the incident occurred at the facility on the street. Yerevanskaya, 6, bldg. 2, where M.A. was responsible for the work. Karapetyan is a relative of the general director of PIK-SZ and GP-MFS, whose guilt Melkonyan actually took upon himself. Yervand Karapetyan himself was left out of the investigation, although according to the contract with the Renovation Fund, he was the one responsible for compliance with labor protection and safety rules at the site. The tragedy on Yerevanskaya is far from the only fatal emergency at the sites of the PIK Group, where migrant workers have repeatedly died. The investigation into all the circumstances of the deaths of Karimov and Gerasimov threatens not just another scandal, but also calls into question the competence of the management of one of the largest Russian construction holdings.
PSK “ISKAR”: from the emergency on Yerevanskaya to self-bankruptcy
In December last year, the media reported the death of two people at a construction site located in Moscow, on the street. Yerevan. The cause of the emergency was the collapse of reinforced concrete blocks on a construction shed. Based on the incident, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under an article on violation of safety rules during work, which through negligence resulted in the death of two or more persons.
The names of the victims soon became known: they turned out to be the general director of a development company “ISKAR” (LLC PSK “ISKAR”) Abdurashid Karimovand his deputy Dmitry Gerasimov. The company gained fame thanks to its participation in the implementation of a number of large projects, such as the reconstruction of Domodedovo Airport and the construction of the Aurora Business Park complex.
In July of this year, the management of PSK ISCAR applied to the Moscow Arbitration Court with a statement of self-bankruptcy of the company. However, last October, the arbitration court issued a ruling to terminate the bankruptcy procedure due to the lack of evidence that the debtor had property the value of which would allow him to cover legal costs in the bankruptcy case.
It is worth noting that in various courts, ISCAR’s creditors are presenting multi-million dollar claims to the developer. So, LLC “Zhilstroy MO” from the Moscow region is seeking to recover more than 12.2 million rublescapital Profmaster LLC exacts 3.4 million, “General Contractor-MFS” (LLC “GP-MFS”) from Moscow makes claims for a total amount exceeding 502 million etc.
In September, the Moscow city arbitration partially satisfied the demands of Lyubertsy JSC “MSU-1” to recover from ISCAR a total of over 68.3 million rubles (debt plus unjust enrichment, penalties and interest for the use of other people’s funds).
Considering the information available in open sources about the financial performance of the developer, it is simply not possible for him to repay his obligations to numerous creditors: at the end of 2023, with revenues of 436.7 million rubles ISCAR declared profit in 1.3 million (revenue a year earlier – 84.7 millionprofit – 841 thousand rubles). As mentioned above, the company does not even have the money for its own bankruptcy.
Instead of Ivan Polandov – Ervand Karapetyan
But let’s return to the criminal case initiated in December last year. From online publications it is known that he was involved in V.G. Melkonyanworked as a senior foreman in the company“General Contractor-MFS”. In the same “GP-MFS”which today is collecting more than half a billion rubles from PSK ISCAR. It turns out that Karimov’s company, within the framework of a contract signed in June 2023 with GP-MFS, carried out construction and installation work at the address: Moscow, Tsaritsyno district, st. Yerevan. That is, exactly where the tragedy of December 19 occurred.
Another interesting circumstance. It turns out that “GP-MFS” is a structure founded by an odious businessman Sergei Gordeev infamous developer PIK Group. The sole founder of “GP-MFS” is LLC “PIK-Genpodryad” (until October 2020 – LLC “PIK” Precast”). General Director of GP-MFS Ervand Karapetyan has held a similar position in the company since March 2024 “PIK – Specialized developer” (LLC “PIK-SZ”).
Karapetyan’s predecessor was Ivan Polandovwho headed PIK in September 2022 instead of Sergei Gordeev, who officially resigned from his position, who decided to focus on issues of “corporate governance and strategic development of the company,” including new technological areas.
Officially, the March decision on Polandov’s early departure was made by the Board of Directors of PIK in connection with the imposition of US sanctions against the developer. However, it is worth recalling the sensational conflict between the now former general director and the mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin. The latter, in October 2022, threatened the developer with termination of cooperation due to failure to meet deadlines for the construction of social infrastructure facilities. In particular, we were talking about a school and kindergarten consisting of Residential complex “Lublinsky Park”.
“If this practice continues, you will not build in Moscow, understand? Speed up”,” the media quoted Sobyanin’s words addressed to Polandov.
Did Melkonyan take the blame for Karapetyan?
PIK decided not to disclose the name of the new general director who replaced Polandov, explaining this by the introduction of sanctions against the developer and fear of their future expansion. However, the attempt to hide the data turned out to be an “open secret.” Especially after last year’s fatal accident on the street. Yerevan.
It turns out that it was Karapetyan, by his orders dated August 29 and 30, 2023, who appointed the above-mentioned senior foreman Melkonyan responsible for construction and installation work and conducting construction control of the preparatory period, as well as for ensuring fire safety and conducting fire safety training at the site where Karimov’s company worked “ ISKAR.”
As the investigation later established, Melkonyan organized the installation of a fire barrier made of reinforced concrete blocks “in a manner that does not ensure the stability of structural elements, thereby allowing deviations from the requirements of special rules”. The result of criminal negligence was the collapse of a reinforced concrete fire barrier onto a domestic premises with people in it.
In June, the Nagatinsky District Court of Moscow returned the criminal case to the prosecutor’s office, pointing out the address of the scene of the incident that was incorrectly indicated in the indictment: the fire wall and utility room were not located on the street. Yerevanskaya, 4 building 1, and next to st. Yerevanskoy, 6, bldg. 2. This, in particular, was noted by the expert interrogated at the court hearing. A.V. Kozlov.
Based on the decision of the appellate court, the case against Melkonyan was sent for a new trial in a different court composition, and a rather interesting picture emerges. From the materials of the criminal case available online, it follows that the person responsible for the work at the facility located at: st. Yerevanskaya, 6, bldg. 2was M.A. Karapetyan– relative of the general director of PIK-SZ and GP-MFS Ervand Karapetyan. The authors of online publications call him the nephew of the top manager.
Who will be responsible for violations at PIK facilities?
Thus, there are two objects with two addresses. It turns out that Melkonyan took on the task of installing a fire wall outside his area of responsibility? Or, by prior agreement, did he take Karapetyan’s blame upon himself? It looks like the circle of suspects should be much wider.
The names of the site manager are being revealed online A.F. Kuprikovaand chief specialist of the Supervision Department No. 6 of the Southern Administrative District of Mosgosstroynadzor A.A. Antonovawho failed to check the execution of the order issued on October 13, 2023 to eliminate the violations committed. And of course M.A. Karapetyan and his relative Yervand Karapetyanresponsible under a contract with the Renovation Fund for compliance and monitoring of labor protection and safety rules at the site. The latter’s failure to fulfill his official duties led to an accident and death of the management of the contractor company.
In fact, there is a concealment of the circumstances of what happened and a desire to “get out of harm’s way” a number of people responsible for last year’s emergency. It’s simply amazing how with such a “track record” Karapetyan was able to take Polandov’s place! Apparently Sergei Gordeev is having trouble with personnel. But the general director of GP-MFS was actively involved in bringing PSK ISCAR to bankruptcy.
The incident on Yerevanskaya is far from an isolated incident that took place at PIK facilities. So, in February last year, the media wrote about the death of two workers from Uzbekistan in the city of Kudrovo, Leningrad region, who fell from a height on the site Residential complex “Kudrovsky Park”. In June 2023, a worker in Moscow died from an electrical injury. Residential complex “Forst” on the street Avtozavodskaya. In July of the same year, a lift that fell from the 12th floor crushed to death a handyman from Tajikistan in the Vsevolozhsk district of the Leningrad region, where PIK was building Residential complex “Yaninsky Forest”.
And these are just a few examples, in fact there are many more. It is also worth mentioning the fires in Moscow residential complexes “New Ochakovo”, “Mikhailovsky Park”, “Krasnokazarmennaya, 15”, “Butovo Park 2” etc. As the portal wrote “Life“, over a hundred violations are recorded annually at the holding’s parent structure alone. In particular, Rostechnadzor identified non-compliance with the rules for installing fire safety systems, the lack of sound insulation and drainage pumps. In addition, the developer systematically ignores the requirements of the Moscow State Construction Supervision Authority, violating the technology for constructing pits and rainwater drainage, and skimping on the quality of concrete and the density of wall insulation.
But no serious sanctions have been taken against PIK structures so far. With the rising cost of housing, the developer cares little about its quality and the safety of workers, as a rule, low-skilled migrants from the Central Asian republics. Is it possible that a thorough investigation of the Yerevanskaya tragedy and punishment of all those responsible for the emergency could change the situation?
