"So that you live on one salary!" Material on the fight against corruption in the Murmansk region

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

I heard rumors about the arrest of two deputy governors of the Murmansk region a month ago, however, I, a citizen of Murmansk, managed to find out what actually happened only now.

Life on a grand scale of the leadership of the Murmansk region may turn into a new "Gaizer case"

On October 18, 2017 in Murmansk, operatives of the FSB central office detained the former vice-governor Igor Babenko, who controlled the work of the regional government apparatus.

Former Vice Governor Igor Babenko. Photo: severpost.ru

The vice-governor received the prefix "ex" two weeks ago, when the black accounts department of the regional authorities got into the local press. The documents published by the blogger Alexander Serebryanikov testify to the machinations carried out with the participation of "charitable foundations", the work of which was coordinated by Babenko.

"Plum" was preceded by the arrest of two officials of the apparatus responsible for public procurement: George Blagodelsky and Eduard Nikrashevsky … They are accused of large-scale abuse of office. The clerks detained by the FSB within the framework of the pre-trial agreement directly pointed to Igor Babenko and the governor Marina Kovtun as interested parties in corrupt practices. True, they were not released from custody after that, but, on the contrary, their arrest was extended.

Then Blagodelsky's wife wrote an appeal to the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Bastrykin, and made public the black bookkeeping, which had been conducted by her husband since 2012. He kept the documents at home. It follows from them that the administration of the government of the Murmansk region was the personal wallet of the region's top officials, accumulating millions of sponsorship or donations for "charitable needs" collected from large enterprises with interests in the region. These are at least 40 companies, whose managers received tearful letters with requests to share money, signed by the Governor Marina Kovtun.

For example, in a letter to the General Director of Rosenergoatom Concern, Ms. Kovtun talks about the "acute budget deficit", in the conditions of which it is so difficult to hold New Years for children from low-income families. And then he asks to transfer 10 million rubles to the "off-budget account of the government of the Murmansk region."

In 2017, according to Blagodelsky's documents, Norilsk Nickel, Rosneft, Novatek, EuroChem and PhosAgro were to transfer 20 million each to this account, Sberbank, Severstal, Murmansk Sea commercial port ", on trifles - a million and a half - 15 more enterprises; tribute was collected even from the rural fishing collective farm "Shoots of Communism".

Total planned annual fees 170 million … Appetites have grown - in 2014, they managed to collect twice less.

According to the documents, not all of the collected sums went to the needs of the “needy children”. From this account, for example, New Year's corporate parties of the governor were paid. And also VIP equipment for fishing for members of the government, from boots to a "set of carabiners", as well as an echo sounder, a thermos for five thousand rubles "for GMO"(This is how local officials denote for brevity Governor of the Murmansk Region") And some" gift for GMOs "worth 44 thousand rubles.

Governor of the Murmansk Region Marina Kovtun.

Everything is taken into account in the black bookkeeping: balloons, equipment for the “Rogozin’s visit”, “Tyukavin’s dinner” (first vice-governor), another “Tyukavin’s dinner”, already “with foreigners”, some kind of flower vase “for grandmother”, “dinner with shooting”by Babenko himself, even a paper bag from an electrical store … We lived in grand style, but we counted money.

There are also letters from Babenko to subordinates in the dossier, which directly indicate that the decisions on what and how much to spend are made personally by Marina Kovtun.

Another account that did not formally belong to the government, which was used to collect donations, is the account of the Dobra Time Foundation, established by a close friend. Marina Kovtun - business woman Marina Kalmykova to create a women's health center "White Rose" in Murmansk, patronized by Svetlana Medvedeva.

M. Kalmykov and S. Medvedev.

The purchase of equipment for the "White Rose" for charitable donations from large business went strange: from all the commercial proposals they chose the one where the price was five million higher than that of competitors!

Black bookkeeping for five years is boundless. Obviously, her study led the investigation to the vice-governor. However, in this case, he appears to be only a switchman of a higher rank. In the past, naval officer Igor Babenko has always been distinguished by the exact execution of orders. If the arrests continue, the Murmansk scandal will become the new Gaizer case.

Tags: scandal, Murmansk.

Author: Tatiana Britskaya, a staff correspondent in the Arctic. A source.

And three months earlier, the following material appeared in the media:

Men in Black

Amazing nearby. For some strange reason, anti-corruption fighters of all stripes have intensified over the past few days. And not just catchers of traffic cops shooting bills, but seasoned units. Yesterday and today, Murmansk residents were surprised to observe groups of Chekists in civilian clothes, accompanied by special forces, who entered and exited the buildings of the regional government, the Meridian hotel and the offices of large companies.

Especially big shock was caused by the appearance of valiant law enforcement officers in the office of the head of the hotel complex "Meridian" Marina Kalmykova.

The latter is known in the city not only as an entrepreneur and a deputy of the City Council, but also as one of the recent contenders for the chair of the head of the municipality after the departure of Alexei Weller. However, the party of "Euroros", which was represented by Dmitry Filippov, then won. Marina Kalmykova even the patronage of the head of the region and the namesake did not help Marina Kovtunwith whom they are rumored to be on very good terms.

Coincided or not, but just yesterday Marina Kalmykova celebrated her birthday. The appearance on the bright holiday of "people in black", according to the staff of the hotel complex, surprised her to the extreme. Even more, she was struck by the ardent desire to communicate on their part. Apparently, despite the high social circle, the head of "Meridian" did not suspect about the upcoming events.

Another group of security officials proceeded to the regional government. There, too, were, if not searches, then operational-investigative actions for sure.

In addition to the government and Meridian, something similar happened in a number of large companies, including the Gubernsky Hotel, which, for a moment, is commanded by the wife of First Deputy Governor Alexei Tyukavin, the company of the former Commissioner for the Rights of Entrepreneurs and the famous businessman Igor Morar and a dozen more organizations.

Law enforcement sources say the activities are federal sanctioned. As for the reasons, we are talking about fraud with government contracts. Preparations for the events took about six months. Almost immediately after the noise with the investigative actions, a criminal case was opened against the deputy head of the State Budgetary Educational Institution "Department for the Support of the Government of the Murmansk Region" Grigory Blagodelsky … He is suspected of fraud and embezzlement of funds from the government of the Murmansk region.

The investigation is being conducted by polar investigators of the Investigative Committee. It is possible that there will be more than one case.

October 22, 2017 Murmansk. Anton Blagin