Former governor Leonid Markelov was accused of accepting a bribe of 235 million rubles. The arrest of the ex-head of the Republic of Mari El, who after his resignation "was going to write poetry", is associated with the start of the presidential campaign, experts say
Leonid Markelov (Photo: Dmitry Azarov / Kommersant)
Bribe
Ex-head of the Republic of Mari El Leonid Markelov on suspicion of accepting a bribe, the ICR reports. In a conversation with a RBC correspondent, lawyer Igor Trunov explained that Markelov was suspected of trying to get a bribe of 250 million rubles. from businessman Nikolai Krivash. He allegedly promised to transfer to the head of the region an illegal monetary reward by means of a fictitious purchase of shares in the greenhouse facilities controlled by Markelov, JSC Teplichnoye.
The founder of the local agricultural holding "Akashevo" Krivash transferred the money to Markelov through a confidant - the head of the local TV channel "Region 12" Natalia Kozhanov. A corruption case was initiated against all participants in the transaction. Meanwhile, in Mari El, searches are underway at the place of residence and work of the defendants in the case, including in the republics.
Region 12, which, according to the investigation, was involved in corruption, is controlled by Tatyana Markelova, the stepmother of the ex-head of the republic. In fact, “Region 12 TV company is a large financial and construction holding in Mari El,” Ilya Shumanov, deputy director of the Russian division of Transparency International, told RBC. Many corruption stories in the republic are associated with him, Mari political strategist Rustam Abdullin told RBC. In particular, the holding received contracts from the state for the construction of buildings in the center of the regional capital without tenders, he said.
Teplichnoe is affiliated with the Markelov family. In 2013, he divorced his wife Irina. A year before that, Irina Markelova became a member of the board of directors of the OJSC, she owned 82.3% of the company. Soon after, the entire package was handed over to Tatyana Markelova. The annual income of Teplichny and other companies owned by Irina Markelova, according to local bloggers, in 2012 amounted to more than 2 billion rubles.
Big investigation
Informed sources tell Interfax that the case against the ex-head of the republic may be part of a large investigation of corruption in the Akashevo agricultural holding. Other high-ranking officials are also involved in the case, including the ex-minister of agriculture of the republic, Iraida Dolgusheva, accused of judicial forgery, the agency's interlocutors said.
“The fact that the governor Markelov patronized the Akashevo agricultural holding was not a secret in the republic. Krivash's bribe was a kind of gratitude for this patronage, ”Gennady Zubkov, secretary of the Mari republican committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, told RBC. “This organization was provided with multibillion-dollar loans for the Akashevskaya poultry farm and its branches. In total, they were allocated about 40 billion rubles. I think for 40 billion rubles. the amount of the bribe is 250 million rubles. - this is not the final figure, ”he said.
This information was confirmed by a TASS source: the ex-governor beat out state support for the Akashevskaya poultry farm and "promoted" it in circles close to the authorities, the agency's interlocutor claims. The agricultural holding, of which it is a part, is one of the largest poultry meat producers in Russia.
The Akashevskaya poultry farm is part of the holding of the same name, founded in 2005. According to the industry magazine "Agroinvestor", "Akashevskaya" in 2016 ranked ninth in the top 10 largest producers of chicken. The agricultural holding owns more than 200 poultry houses for growing broilers at 14 sites in different regions of the republic. In the fall of 2016, "Vedomosti" wrote with reference to sources that the owner of "Akashevo" could become the family of the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Agrocomplex im. N.I. Tkacheva.
Conflict with the Communist Party
The confrontation between the head of Mari El and the Communist Party began in 2009, when the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, demanded that Markelov be dismissed for falsifying the results of local elections and “removing the republic from the legal field”.
“Last year, the communist Sergei Kazankov was elected to the State Duma from Mari El. It is possible that it was Kazankov who took part in the approach and subsequent exposure of the head of the republic, since the local branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation traditionally opposed Markelov, ”said Evgeny Suslov, head of the Mari branch of the Russian Association of Political Science, to RBC. According to him, there was, among other things, a personal conflict between Kazankov and Markelov, which poured out into public space as insults.
“For example, after Kazankov was elected to the State Duma, Markelov spoke sharply against him and called him a“ boy ”. But it was, rather, a conflict between political opponents, and not something else related to business, - said the political scientist. - The whole republic has known for a long time that our regime is corrupt. Obviously, the country's leadership ultimately made a decision on Markelov. "
Contradictions with the Kremlin
Vladimir Putin Markelova resigned on April 6. The President offered to head the region to the head of the Moscow Region Arbitration Court Alexander Evstifeev. Markelov, according to Putin, would like to change his occupation and "asks to use him in another area of work." The ex-governor of RBC himself, that he plans to "rest and write poetry" in the near future, and "cannot say anything" about plans for further work. Thus, his detention took place a week after his resignation. After the resignation, Markelov was offered a seat in the Federation Council, so he could have had immunity, but this appointment did not happen.
The detention of Markelov can be explained by the result of the connection between the plenipotentiary envoy in the Volga Federal District (VFD) Mikhail Babich and the Kremlin's internal political bloc led by Sergei Kiriyenko, political analyst Nikolai Mironov suggested in an interview with RBC. Kiriyenko was Babich's predecessor in this post, so the Volga region is an area of special attention for him, he noted.
Vladimir Putin and Mr. Leonid Markelov (left to right) (Photo: Alexey Druzhinin / TASS)
Kiriyenko, being plenipotentiary in the Volga Federal District, in 2001 advocated the nomination of Markelov to the governor's post. "But by 2017, he began to look like a" weak link ", and therefore his fate was decided," - historian Maxim Artemyev. Markelov's place was taken by Evstifeev, a former deputy of Kiriyenko in the Volga Federal District embassy, who “will only need to avoid gross mistakes, and a victory with a decent result is guaranteed to him,” the expert said.
An additional reason for initiating a case against Markelov could have been a conflict with Babich. Last fall, Kirill Knyazev, who previously worked in the Kirov region, became the head of the department of the Federal Tax Service for the republic. Markelov did not want to see the "Varangian" at the post of head of the tax service. “You appoint local personnel to local posts. And then some local cadres either end up in jail, or become overgrown with criminal cases, "Babich advised the regional leaders at a meeting with the media.
“Babich tried to create a system of checks in the region, Markelov resisted,” political analyst Konstantin Kalachev explained to RBC.
Presidential election
Two days before the resignation of Markelov, Putin, the head of Udmurtia, Alexander Solovyov, who was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe.
Thus, the ex-head of Mari El has become the fifth head of the region who has come under investigation over the past two years. In the summer of 2016, the head of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh, was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe of € 400,000; in the fall of 2015, the governor of Komi, Vyacheslav Gaizer, was arrested and accused of creating a criminal community. In March 2015, the governor of the Sakhalin Region, Alexander Khoroshavin, was arrested and accused of taking bribes totaling more than 522 million rubles.
Markelov's detention could be part of the presidential campaign ahead of the 2018 elections, as one of its topics could be the fight against corruption. It has already affected the results of sociological research in the regions, political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko told RBC. In his opinion, the topic of corruption is leaving the top of the problems with which the authorities, in the opinion of the population, do not cope well enough. “On the one hand, this corrects the image of President Vladimir Putin and allows to seize the initiative from the opposition, on the other hand, it is important for the authorities not to go too far, so as not to get the impression that all the corrupt officials are at the top,” the interlocutor of RBC explained.
"The anti-corruption agenda will become one of the key parts of Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign," agrees Andrei Kolesnikov, head of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “Now there are very few plots on which to build any pre-election“ tricks ”. And there is demand from below for the anti-corruption topic. And, of course, this topic will be actively used within the framework of Putin's election campaign, which, according to feelings, has already begun or will begin in the near future, ”Kolesnikov said.
Leonid the Magnificent
The former governor Markelov was compared by the communists at the rallies with the Renaissance dictator Lorenzo Medici. A monument to Lorenzo the Magnificent was erected in Yoshkar-Ola on the initiative of the governor. After the head of the republic visited Venice, copies of St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace also appeared in the capital of the region. There are also copies of the Moscow Kremlin and even its own Bruges Embankment (the original name of the Yoshkar-Ola street). All this contrasted with the low standard of living in the republic. From January 2012 to March 2017, the volume of the republic's public debt increased by 8 billion and amounted to 14 billion rubles. According to RIA Rating, in 2016, the republic ranked 65th in terms of quality of life, having worsened the 2015 result by eight points.
Markelov was accused of harsh treatment of opponents: in Mari El, during his governorship, the media, criticizing the actions of the head of the republic, were repeatedly closed. In the 2000s, the Dobrye Nezhedi newspaper, which constantly criticized the work of local authorities, was abolished, and the circulations of several other publications were arrested, Dmitry Lyubimov, a journalist from the 7x7 Mari edition, told RBC.
“Those who were forbidden to publish on the territory of the republic, were printed on the territory of the Kirov region. They brought back their copies, and these copies were arrested when crossing the border of the republic, - he explained. “It is quite obvious that large media outlets that would provide independent information have disappeared in the republic, and the sites are not only under control, but they take into account all previous stories and provide information with caution, even if it is neutral”. According to Lyubimov, "7x7" plays the role of a "litmus test" in the republic: "If we gave something, then other publications decide that they can print it."
In 2005, the European Parliament issued a resolution “On violations of human rights in the Mari El Republic of the Russian Federation”. Europeans accused local and federal authorities of violating freedom of speech, intimidating journalists and infringing on the rights of the indigenous population.
The ex-governor was also criticized for incorrect communication with voters. Before the elections in 2015, having arrived at the opening of a feldsher-obstetric center in the village of Shimshurga, Markelov stated: “I’m so badly received the first time. Nowhere was it so that they grumbled. Perhaps I, too, should turn to you in the same place in which you turned to me. Yes? Close everything and leave. And dig the road. What are you grumbling, what do you dislike? " Subsequently, his press service called these words a joke.
In 2016, Markelov took 72-75th places out of 85 possible in the ranking of the effectiveness of governors of the Civil Society Development Fund. The Petersburg Politics Foundation and the Minchenko Consulting holding in the winter of 2016 gave it a “3” rating in the survival rating of the heads of regions. Markelov won the 2015 elections "despite the high anti-rating and electoral fatigue," experts said.
Under a reinforced escort of FSB officers, he was brought to Moscow late yesterday evening from Yoshkar-Ola. He was detained on suspicion of receiving bribes in 2015-2016 totaling 235 million rubles. for patronage and subsidies to the Akashevskaya agricultural holding. The money in the form of bills, according to the TFR, was transferred to him by one of the former owners and founders of the holding, Nikolai Krivash, a deputy of the Mari Legislative Assembly, who managed to travel abroad. The mediator in the transfer of the bribe was the director of the Mari TV channel "12 Region". The Kremlin does not associate the resignation of Mr. Markelov with the claims of the investigation, explaining it by rotation: he had been in the post of head of the republic for more than 16 years.
The 53-year-old former head of Mari El, Leonid Markelov, was detained on Thursday morning by an investigative-operational brigade, headed by a senior investigator for especially important cases under the head of the ICR, Sergei Stepanov, who arrived from Moscow. [...]
According to some reports, the former first person of Mari-El was invited for a conversation at the regional department of the FSB, where he was announced that he was being detained. During the first interrogation, at which the interests of Mr Markelov were represented by Olga Poletilo, President of the Mari-El Bar Chamber, the ex-head of the region was asked to “confess everything,” as other persons involved in the investigation, including witnesses, allegedly gave testimonies incriminating him. Whether Mr. Markelov went to cooperate with the investigation or not is still unknown. Simultaneously with Mr. Markelov, Natalya Kozhanova, Director General of Telekompaniya 12 Region LLC, was detained. Immediately, a series of searches were carried out both in the houses and apartments of the suspects and at their workplaces, including the premises of the republican administration. Already in the second half of the day, the FSB special forces fighters detained under a reinforced escort were sent to Moscow, where the Basmanny Court on Friday will consider the TFR's petitions to impose preventive measures in the form of arrests.
The official representative of the ICR Svetlana Petrenko clarified that the arrests were carried out as part of the investigation of a criminal case initiated for accepting a bribe on an especially large scale (part 6 of article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), her giving (part 5 of article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and mediation in this (part 4 of article 291.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). "According to the investigation, Markelov received, through a confidant, Natalia Kozhanova, from the founder of the Akashevskaya OJSC factory, Nikolai Krivash, more than 235 million rubles as a bribe for patronage and assistance in property payment of state support funds for the development of the agricultural complex," said Ms. Petrenko.
Thus, it was not possible to detain only the alleged bribe-giver Mykola Krivash. Lawyer Igor Trunov explained that his client is abroad, where he went for treatment a few days ago. The lawyer learned about the initiation of a criminal case, which did not come as a surprise to him, from the ex-wife and daughter of Nikolai Krivash living in Moscow, who were also searched by officers of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and the FSB. They confiscated all computers, tablets and phones from the girl, although she insisted that she did not communicate with her father. At the same time, there were some incidents. The counterintelligence officers arrived at the ex-wife of a businessman at two addresses at once - at a Moscow apartment and a dacha near Moscow. The woman herself was in the capital, but she was required to immediately open the country house, promising to knock out the doors in it. The woman could not do this in any way, since she was simply not allowed out of the room, where a search was also taking place. The issue was resolved only after Igor Trunov's colleagues arrived at the site.
According to him, Mr. Krivash is now, at the request of lawyers, preparing a written response to the claims expressed by representatives of the TFR - about the transfer by the then co-owner of Akashevskaya in 2015 of a number of bearer bills to the head of the republic, which were then allegedly cashed and the money was transferred to the account of the TV company. "It is difficult for me to say something about this," Mr. Trunov noted and explained that in 2015 he did not represent the interests of Nikolai Krivash, and therefore, not having received an explanation from the latter, he could not comment on something. The lawyer only noted that the big businessman had problems about a year ago. Then the investigative department of the Mari FSB opened a criminal case on fraud (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code) - the receipt and embezzlement of a subsidy from Akashevskaya for 82 million rubles.
It should be noted that the agricultural holding was not only one of the largest in the republic, but also occupied about 5% of the total poultry meat supply market in the country. The counterintelligence officers were investigating only into the alleged embezzlement of funds, which in fact, according to the lawyer, were used to pay off interest on loans. He also noted that the investigators practically did not bother Nikolai Krivash himself, while they summoned many Akashevskaya employees for interrogation, conducted searches and seized documents. Igor Trunov believes that in this way a large businessman was simply squeezed out of the republic, forcing him to sell his business and testify against the head of the republic. According to him, the business really had to yield. Since October last year, it has been owned by MarFinInvest LLC. Representatives of the new owner said yesterday that now the enterprise has nothing to do with the scandalous criminal case.
[Gazeta.Ru, 13.04.2017, "Detained and convoyed to Moscow": According to the Kartoteka.Ru database, Nikolai Krivash is the owner and director of ZAO Akashevskaya Poultry Farm. He also owns a stake in ZAO Soling. In 2005, Krivash, together with his wife, became a co-founder of the Tsvetnoy Bulvar 24/2 Association of Homeowners. In addition to Krivash, the co-founders of this HOA include presidential aide Igor Levitin, as well as entrepreneur Arkady Livshits. It should be noted that earlier Nikolay Krivash was a co-founder and director of 15 more enterprises located in the Moscow region and Mari El.
Also, according to the database "Kartoteka.Ru", Natalia Kozhanova is the head of LLC "TV company 12 region". In 2015, the TV company's revenue was an impressive 1.2 billion rubles for a depressed region, and its net profit was 284 million rubles.
Over the past couple of years, various departments of Mari El have signed 12 contracts with the TV company for the amount of 287 million rubles. It is noteworthy that these were not only advertising contracts, but also contracts for the lease of premises. For example, the Yoshkar-Ola bank, which was founded by the republican ministry of state property, rented premises for the head office from LLC Telekompaniya 12 region for 259 million rubles.
Kozhanova also manages the enterprises OOO Cardinal and OOO Voskresenskiy Park, the founder of which is Tatyana Markelova, a relative of the ex-head of Mari El.
The same relative of the ex-governor owns five more enterprises in the republic, including the Mari Cement. The total profit of enterprises, according to financial statements, in the last year amounted to 65 million rubles. - Box K.ru]
As noted by Mr. Trunov, part of the investigative actions carried out by the FSB officers in the case of the subsidy for Akashevskaya were declared illegal by the court. However, according to him, it was obvious to him that the law enforcement officers would not calm down. In particular, some time ago, the Mari department of the ICR suspected the former Minister of Agriculture and Food of the government of the republic, Iraida Dolgusheva, in lobbying the interests of the agricultural holding. She resigned three months before Mr Markelov's arrest. According to Kommersant's sources, her criminal case, in which she is suspected of three episodes of official forgery (Article 292 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), is directly related to the case of Leonid Markelov. According to the investigation, Ms. Dolgusheva, by providing letters with "false information" about the financial condition of the agricultural holding, assisted Akashevskaya in obtaining state funds and loans within the framework of the republican program "Development of Agriculture in the Republic of Mari-El".
Ms. Dolgusheva was dismissed from office by Leonid Markelov by his decree on January 26. Note that at one time he himself lobbied for the interests of "Akashevskaya" before the Russian government, beating out additional funding for the holding. Thus, according to some reports, in recent years, Akashevskaya has received subsidies and loans worth about 25 billion rubles.
At the same time, in the republic itself, it was believed that the true owners of "Akashevskaya" until recently were people close to the head of the republic - his 40-year-old ex-wife Irina and his own aunt. They could also be included in the management of another large agricultural enterprise - "Teplichnoye". There is a version that a rollback of 235 million rubles. Leonid Markelov at one time was intended not only for patronage, but also for the transfer of "Teplichny" under the jurisdiction of "Akashevskaya".
["Gazeta RBK", 04/14/2017, "Leonid Markelov was taken for the birds": "Region 12", which, according to the investigation, was involved in corruption, is controlled by Tatyana Markelova, the stepmother of the ex-head of the republic. In fact, “Region 12 TV company is a large financial and construction holding in Mari El,” Ilya Shumanov, deputy director of the Russian division of Transparency International, told RBC. Many corruption stories in the republic are associated with him, Mari political strategist Rustam Abdullin told RBC. In particular, the holding received contracts from the state for the construction of buildings in the center of the regional capital without tenders, he said.
Teplichnoe is affiliated with the Markelov family. In 2013, he divorced his wife Irina. A year before that, Irina Markelova became a member of the board of directors of the OJSC, she owned 82.3% of the company. Soon after, the entire package was handed over to Tatyana Markelova. The annual income of Teplichny and other companies owned by Irina Markelova, according to local bloggers, in 2012 amounted to more than 2 billion rubles. […]
“The fact that the governor Markelov patronized the Akashevo agricultural holding was not a secret in the republic. Krivash's bribe was a kind of gratitude for this patronage, ”Gennady Zubkov, secretary of the Mari republican committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, told RBC. “This organization was provided with multibillion-dollar loans for the Akashevskaya poultry farm and its branches. In total, they were allocated about 40 billion rubles. I think for 40 billion rubles. the amount of the bribe is 250 million rubles. - this is not the final figure, ”he said. […]
The Akashevskaya poultry farm is part of the holding of the same name, founded in 2005. According to the industry magazine "Agroinvestor", "Akashevskaya" in 2016 ranked ninth in the top 10 largest producers of chicken. The agricultural holding owns more than 200 poultry houses for growing broilers at 14 sites in different regions of the republic. In the fall of 2016, "Vedomosti" wrote with reference to sources that the owner of "Akashevo" could become the family of the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Agrocomplex im. N.I. Tkacheva. - Box K.ru]
[Life. Until October 27, 2016, 100% of Akashevo shares through Marfininvest were owned by the company's general director Nikolai Krivash. Frauds around the agricultural holding surfaced after Krivash decided to sell it at the end of 2016. The agro-holding "Agroaktiv", which was registered on August 1, 2016 in Krasnodar, became a potential buyer. The latter is run by the family of the head of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, Alexander Tkachev. First of all, an audit was appointed, which was supposed to assess the economic and financial condition of Akashevo. The auditors discovered large-scale embezzlement of state loans and subsidies. After that, a troop of FSB operatives landed in Akashevo, who seized the documents and fully confirmed the results of the audit of the auditors. On December 9, 2016, the FSB for Mari El opened a fraud case on the unjustified allocation of subsidies to agricultural producers. And today the Akashevo poultry farm belongs, through intermediate structures, to the NI Tkachev Agrocomplex. - Box K.ru]
Igor Trunov, whose lawyers represent the interests of a number of "socially significant persons" in Mari El, believes that all the claims of the security officials against them are "one chain" in which they wanted to find a "weak link" in order to get compromising evidence on Leonid Markelov.
Note that Leonid Markelov a little over a week ago - on April 6 - lost his post. True, unlike other governors suspected of corruption and dismissed by the president in connection with “a loss of confidence,” he, according to the official version, wrote a letter of resignation himself. During a meeting with the appointed acting head of Mari El, Alexander Evstifeev, Vladimir Putin noted that Leonid Markelov "would like to change his place of work." According to some reports, it was discussed that he could go to work in the Federation Council. At the same time yesterday, the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin "certainly" is aware of "certain questions that the investigating authorities have" for Mr. Markelov. But, according to him, "the rotation that took place is primarily connected with the rather long term of Markelov's tenure as head of the region." He held office for 16 years - from January 2001.
Under his leadership, the republic found itself in a pre-bankruptcy state. As noted by Alexander Evstifeev, as of the beginning of the year, the state debt of the republic reached 13 billion 513 million rubles.
[IA "RBC", 04/13/2017, "The Markelov clan: what is behind the criminal case against the head of Mari El": The communists at the rallies compared ex-governor Markelov with the Renaissance dictator Lorenzo Medici. A monument to Lorenzo the Magnificent was erected in Yoshkar-Ola on the initiative of the governor. After the head of the republic visited Venice, copies of St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace also appeared in the capital of the region. There are also copies of the Moscow Kremlin and even its own Bruges Embankment (the original name of the Yoshkar-Ola street). All this contrasted with the low standard of living in the republic. […] According to RIA Rating, in 2016, the republic ranked 65th in terms of quality of life, having worsened the 2015 result by eight points.
Markelov was accused of harsh treatment of opponents: in Mari El, during his governorship, the media, criticizing the actions of the head of the republic, were repeatedly closed. In the 2000s, the Dobrye Nezhedi newspaper, which constantly criticized the work of local authorities, was abolished, and the circulations of several other publications were arrested, Dmitry Lyubimov, a journalist from the 7x7 Mari edition, told RBC. […]
In 2005, the European Parliament issued a resolution “On violations of human rights in the Mari El Republic of the Russian Federation”. Europeans accused local and federal authorities of violating freedom of speech, intimidating journalists and infringing on the rights of the indigenous population. - Box K.ru]
Former Minister of Agriculture could have “surrendered” the governor Iraida Dolgusheva... A criminal case against her was initiated earlier.
The domino principle in the corrupt government of Mari El
The arrest of the ex-head of the Republic of Mari El Leonid Markelov connected with the scandal around the Akashevo poultry farm, which was previously owned by a businessman from Komi Nikolay Krivash... Nikolay Krivash, in turn, is associated with the team of Gaizer and Torlopov. In Komi, he tested the scheme that was eventually used in Mari El. The businessman took out a loan for the enterprise under the guarantees of the local government, and then went bankrupt. After the bankruptcy of the Ukhta meat-packing plant, Krivash came to Mari El and acquired the Akashevo poultry farm.
Recall that Nikolai Krivash is being held as a bribe-giver in a criminal case initiated on April 12 against the head of Mari El Leonid Markelov. The ex-governor is suspected of receiving 250 million rubles from the businessman. ...
“The poultry farm received the largest support in the region, almost all subsidies allocated for the development of agriculture in Mari El went to Akashevo,” says adviser Gennady Zyuganova Sergey Mamaev.
Millions of loans were taken by the poultry farm without collateral, some loans were taken even for chicks. "
Krivash owned the poultry farm until 2016, after which the Kuban Agrocomplex named after Nikolai Tkachev, which is associated with the family of the Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev, bought the Akashevskaya poultry farm. The new owner conducted an audit and revealed huge debts of the enterprise.
“There is no money at the factory, it’s a big soap bubble,” Mamaev continues. - Suppliers sent products, but no payment was made for them, all agreements were concluded under the guarantees of the government and Leonid Markelov, he personally lobbied for the interests of Akashevo.
The investigation suggests that Krivash is repaying loans taken in Komi using loans received under the guarantees of the government of the Republic of Mari El. The bribe of 250 million rubles may have been one of Markelov's kickbacks for his patronage of the poultry farm.
A PASMI source reports that a criminal case against Markelov could have been initiated by his former subordinate, ex-Minister of Agriculture of the republic Iraida Dolgusheva.
The woman who lost her ministerial post after the outbreak of the scandal around the "Akashevskaya" poultry farm could "hand over" her former head to the investigation in exchange for concessions on her own business.
Previously, she went through a similar scheme and, like Markelov, was accused of receiving large bribes. According to Yabloko's interlocutor Timofey Kablukov, Solovyov was handed over by his deputy, who had been arrested before.
The Basmanny Court of Moscow has considered the arrest of the former head of Mari El Leonid Markelov and the head of the Mari TV channel Region 12. Recall, according to the investigation, the former politician received a bribe in the amount of 250 million rubles from an entrepreneur, and the journalist allegedly assisted in this process: she made "entries and accounts" for the bribe taker.
The illegal remuneration, as believed in the RF IC, was given to Markelov for help and assistance in obtaining state support funds for the development of the Akashevskaya agricultural complex, which was founded by Krivash.
First, they considered a preventive measure against Kozhanova. The woman, who looks about fifty years old, arrived at the court, accompanied by a police convoy. She was wearing a burgundy blouse with a picture of flowers and strict black trousers. The police officers decided not to handcuff her. At the same time, the journalists present immediately felt that she was ready to resolutely fight to be recognized as innocent.
The judge, who was to decide on the arrest of the head of the Mari TV channel, as usual, began by formally identifying the accused.
“I was born on August 30, 1955 in Yoshkar-Ola. I have a higher education, I am a candidate of economic sciences. Now I am a pensioner and at the same time the director of the TV company "Region 12", - Kozhanova briefly told about herself.
After that, the representative cheerfully read out standard phrases about the fact that, being at large, the accused may “hide from the investigation, put pressure on witnesses, victims and other participants in the process, and otherwise obstruct the course of the investigation in this case”. The investigator said that on this basis it is necessary to conclude her in. The journalist and part-time pensioner strongly disagreed with this opinion.
“I have state awards, including the title of Honored Scientist of the Republic of Mari El, as well as the Order of Merit to it of the second degree,” the accused tried to convince the judge. According to Kozhanova, she is ready to cooperate with the investigation in order to explain to the representatives of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation all the misunderstandings that have arisen, which allegedly resulted in her detention.
“I am a pensioner with a pension of 18 thousand rubles, where should I go abroad? Please do not do this. I just might not survive this arrest, ”said the head of the TV channel.
She stressed that she has health problems. During the flight from Moscow to Mari El, which took place on the initiative of the investigators, she allegedly suffered a hypertensive crisis.
Then the investigator decided to "crush" his opponent with facts and read aloud the information from the operational-search materials on the case. It followed from it that over the past few years Kozhanova crossed the Russian border 52 times, including in Austria, Germany, Egypt and Italy.
“These are all my business trips, but something turns out a lot,” the accused herself said not very confidently.
After that, Dudar went to the deliberation room to make a decision. As is often the case in the practice of this judge, she resolved the issue rather quickly.
“After listening to the views of the parties, the court comes to the conclusion that the petition of the investigation is lawful and justified, therefore the court ruled the petition of the investigation to satisfy and choose a preventive measure against Kozhanova in the form of detention for a period up to 12 June,” the judge said. The accused listened to this decision calmly and did not even remove the folder from her face, which she used to hide from the journalists.
After that, the former head of the Republic of Mari El, 54-year-old Leonid Markelov, was taken along the corridor of the famous Basmanka. He was dressed very strictly: the former official was wearing black denim trousers, a light black sweater with a zipper, and sports shoes without laces. At first, he behaved very confidently and before entering the courtroom he sat in a relaxed position, crossing his legs. When she began to ask him about who he was and what he was doing, the former head of the region began to talk a lot and not always to the point.
“I have a 14-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son. I will never leave them. Moreover, I look forward to assuming the office of a deputy of the regional legislative assembly, ”he said.
After that, the investigator took the floor.
“In 2013, Markelov had a mercenary plan to use the powers of the head of the subject so that the Akashevskaya poultry farm, owned by the deputy of the local parliament Krivash, received subsidies from the federal budget,” said a representative of the RF IC. According to him, for help in obtaining these subsidies, Krivash promised Markelov at least 250 million rubles.
In January 2015, a fictitious agreement was concluded between them to purchase shares from Teplichnoye OJSC controlled by Markelov for 235 million rubles.
At the same time, Kozhanova, being Markelov's confidant, received promissory notes from companies controlled by Krivash, and then presented the securities for payment with subsequent transfer to the account of LLC Telekompaniya 12 region. According to a representative of the RF IC, this TV channel also actually belongs to the former Mari head.
“As a result, over three years, Akashevskaya received state subsidies in the amount of 5 billion rubles,” the investigator said.
“I attracted 340 million rubles to the dead region, and now we are the first in poultry in Russia and in the top ten in the country in pork. I lobbied, but in the right sense, ”said the head of Mari El, without specifying how and whose interests he promoted. After that, the official began to complain about poor health and listed his many diseases - ankylosing spondylitis, walking heart block and hypertension. According to Markelov, he cannot go abroad, since he can only be treated in Russia, with Russian doctors and with domestic medicines.
“I have swallowed the pills and am doing well, their effect will pass, and I will lie down in a layer,” Markelov blurted out and asked for a glass of water, which the bailiffs carefully gave him. The lawyer of the former head of the republic asked the court to appoint him house arrest instead of real.
“He has his own apartment in the center of Moscow. On Mashkova street, building 2, ”the defender said. He also added that
Markelov is ready to pay a bond for his freedom in the amount of 3 to 5 million rubles.
At this time, the politician's mood completely soured: he became nervous and was baptized, sitting in a cage.
However, Judge Safina was not affected by the words of the lawyers or Markelov's emotions. The former head of Mari El went to a pre-trial detention center until at least June 12.
On the eve of the founder of the Akashevskaya factory, Nikolai Krivash, through his lawyer Igor a, rejected the bribe to Markelov.
“My client does not admit the claims of the investigation. He claims that he did not give any bribes to anyone, ”Trunov said. The lawyer also noted that Krivash is now abroad for treatment. According to the lawyer, the investigator has not yet notified about any investigative actions in relation to his client, and also has not summoned Krivash to the Investigative Committee.
What is behind the criminal case against the ex-head of Mari El
Former governor Leonid Markelov was accused of accepting a bribe of 235 million rubles. The arrest of the ex-head of the Republic of Mari El, who after his resignation "was going to write poetry", is associated with the start of the presidential campaign, experts say
Leonid Markelov (Photo: Dmitry Azarov / Kommersant)
Bribe
Ex-head of the Republic of Mari El Leonid Markelov on suspicion of accepting a bribe, the ICR reports. In a conversation with a RBC correspondent, lawyer Igor Trunov explained that Markelov was suspected of trying to get a bribe of 250 million rubles. from businessman Nikolai Krivash. He allegedly promised to transfer to the head of the region an illegal monetary reward by means of a fictitious purchase of shares in the greenhouse facilities controlled by Markelov, JSC Teplichnoye.
The founder of the local agricultural holding "Akashevo" Krivash transferred the money to Markelov through a confidant - the head of the local TV channel "Region 12" Natalia Kozhanov. A corruption case was initiated against all participants in the transaction. Meanwhile, in Mari El, searches are underway at the place of residence and work of the defendants in the case, including in the republics.
Region 12, which, according to the investigation, was involved in corruption, is controlled by Tatyana Markelova, the stepmother of the ex-head of the republic. In fact, “Region 12 TV company is a large financial and construction holding in Mari El,” Ilya Shumanov, deputy director of the Russian division of Transparency International, told RBC. Many corruption stories in the republic are associated with him, Mari political strategist Rustam Abdullin told RBC. In particular, the holding received contracts from the state for the construction of buildings in the center of the regional capital without tenders, he said.
Teplichnoe is affiliated with the Markelov family. In 2013, he divorced his wife Irina. A year before that, Irina Markelova became a member of the board of directors of the OJSC, she owned 82.3% of the company. Soon after, the entire package was handed over to Tatyana Markelova. The annual income of Teplichny and other companies owned by Irina Markelova, according to local bloggers, in 2012 amounted to more than 2 billion rubles.
Big investigation
Informed sources tell Interfax that the case against the ex-head of the republic may be part of a large investigation of corruption in the Akashevo agricultural holding. Other high-ranking officials are also involved in the case, including the ex-minister of agriculture of the republic, Iraida Dolgusheva, accused of judicial forgery, the agency's interlocutors said.
“The fact that the governor Markelov patronized the Akashevo agricultural holding was not a secret in the republic. Krivash's bribe was a kind of gratitude for this patronage, ”Gennady Zubkov, secretary of the Mari republican committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, told RBC. “This organization was provided with multibillion-dollar loans for the Akashevskaya poultry farm and its branches. In total, they were allocated about 40 billion rubles. I think for 40 billion rubles. the amount of the bribe is 250 million rubles. - this is not the final figure, ”he said.
This information was confirmed by a TASS source: the ex-governor beat out state support for the Akashevskaya poultry farm and "promoted" it in circles close to the authorities, the agency's interlocutor claims. The agricultural holding, of which it is a part, is one of the largest poultry meat producers in Russia.
The Akashevskaya poultry farm is part of the holding of the same name, founded in 2005. According to the industry magazine "Agroinvestor", "Akashevskaya" in 2016 ranked ninth in the top 10 largest producers of chicken. The agricultural holding owns more than 200 poultry houses for growing broilers at 14 sites in different regions of the republic. In the fall of 2016, "Vedomosti" wrote with reference to sources that the owner of "Akashevo" could become the family of the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Agrocomplex im. N.I. Tkacheva.
Conflict with the Communist Party
The confrontation between the head of Mari El and the Communist Party began in 2009, when the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, demanded that Markelov be dismissed for falsifying the results of local elections and “removing the republic from the legal field”.
“Last year, the communist Sergei Kazankov was elected to the State Duma from Mari El. It is possible that it was Kazankov who took part in the approach and subsequent exposure of the head of the republic, since the local branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation traditionally opposed Markelov, ”said Evgeny Suslov, head of the Mari branch of the Russian Association of Political Science, to RBC. According to him, there was, among other things, a personal conflict between Kazankov and Markelov, which poured out into public space as insults.
“For example, after Kazankov was elected to the State Duma, Markelov spoke sharply against him and called him a“ boy ”. But it was, rather, a conflict between political opponents, and not something else related to business, - said the political scientist. - The whole republic has known for a long time that our regime is corrupt. Obviously, the country's leadership ultimately made a decision on Markelov. "
Contradictions with the Kremlin
Vladimir Putin Markelova resigned on April 6. The President offered to head the region to the head of the Moscow Region Arbitration Court Alexander Evstifeev. Markelov, according to Putin, would like to change his occupation and "asks to use him in another area of work." The ex-governor of RBC himself, that he plans to "rest and write poetry" in the near future, and "cannot say anything" about plans for further work. Thus, his detention took place a week after his resignation. After the resignation, Markelov was offered a seat in the Federation Council, so he could have had immunity, but this appointment did not happen.
The detention of Markelov can be explained by the result of the connection between the plenipotentiary envoy in the Volga Federal District (VFD) Mikhail Babich and the Kremlin's internal political bloc led by Sergei Kiriyenko, political analyst Nikolai Mironov suggested in an interview with RBC. Kiriyenko was Babich's predecessor in this post, so the Volga region is an area of special attention for him, he noted.
Vladimir Putin and Mr. Leonid Markelov (left to right) (Photo: Alexey Druzhinin / TASS)
Kiriyenko, being plenipotentiary in the Volga Federal District, in 2001 advocated the nomination of Markelov to the governor's post. "But by 2017, he began to look like a" weak link ", and therefore his fate was decided," - historian Maxim Artemyev. Markelov's place was taken by Evstifeev, a former deputy of Kiriyenko in the Volga Federal District embassy, who “will only need to avoid gross mistakes, and a victory with a decent result is guaranteed to him,” the expert said.
An additional reason for initiating a case against Markelov could have been a conflict with Babich. Last fall, Kirill Knyazev, who previously worked in the Kirov region, became the head of the department of the Federal Tax Service for the republic. Markelov did not want to see the "Varangian" at the post of head of the tax service. “You appoint local personnel to local posts. And then some local cadres either end up in jail, or become overgrown with criminal cases, "Babich advised the regional leaders at a meeting with the media.
“Babich tried to create a system of checks in the region, Markelov resisted,” political analyst Konstantin Kalachev explained to RBC.
Presidential election
Two days before the resignation of Markelov, Putin, the head of Udmurtia, Alexander Solovyov, who was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe.
Thus, the ex-head of Mari El has become the fifth head of the region who has come under investigation over the past two years. In the summer of 2016, the head of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh, was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe of € 400,000; in the fall of 2015, the governor of Komi, Vyacheslav Gaizer, was arrested and accused of creating a criminal community. In March 2015, the governor of the Sakhalin Region, Alexander Khoroshavin, was arrested and accused of taking bribes totaling more than 522 million rubles.
Markelov's detention could be part of the presidential campaign ahead of the 2018 elections, as one of its topics could be the fight against corruption. It has already affected the results of sociological research in the regions, political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko told RBC. In his opinion, the topic of corruption is leaving the top of the problems with which the authorities, in the opinion of the population, do not cope well enough. “On the one hand, this corrects the image of President Vladimir Putin and allows to seize the initiative from the opposition, on the other hand, it is important for the authorities not to go too far, so as not to get the impression that all the corrupt officials are at the top,” the interlocutor of RBC explained.
"The anti-corruption agenda will become one of the key parts of Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign," agrees Andrei Kolesnikov, head of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “Now there are very few plots on which to build any pre-election“ tricks ”. And there is demand from below for the anti-corruption topic. And, of course, this topic will be actively used within the framework of Putin's election campaign, which, according to feelings, has already begun or will begin in the near future, ”Kolesnikov said.
Leonid the Magnificent
The former governor Markelov was compared by the communists at the rallies with the Renaissance dictator Lorenzo Medici. A monument to Lorenzo the Magnificent was erected in Yoshkar-Ola on the initiative of the governor. After the head of the republic visited Venice, copies of St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace also appeared in the capital of the region. There are also copies of the Moscow Kremlin and even its own Bruges Embankment (the original name of the Yoshkar-Ola street). All this contrasted with the low standard of living in the republic. From January 2012 to March 2017, the volume of the republic's public debt increased by 8 billion and amounted to 14 billion rubles. According to RIA Rating, in 2016, the republic ranked 65th in terms of quality of life, having worsened the 2015 result by eight points.
Markelov was accused of harsh treatment of opponents: in Mari El, during his governorship, the media, criticizing the actions of the head of the republic, were repeatedly closed. In the 2000s, the Dobrye Nezhedi newspaper, which constantly criticized the work of local authorities, was abolished, and the circulations of several other publications were arrested, Dmitry Lyubimov, a journalist from the 7x7 Mari edition, told RBC.
“Those who were forbidden to publish on the territory of the republic, were printed on the territory of the Kirov region. They brought back their copies, and these copies were arrested when crossing the border of the republic, - he explained. “It is quite obvious that large media outlets that would provide independent information have disappeared in the republic, and the sites are not only under control, but they take into account all previous stories and provide information with caution, even if it is neutral”. According to Lyubimov, "7x7" plays the role of a "litmus test" in the republic: "If we gave something, then other publications decide that they can print it."
In 2005, the European Parliament issued a resolution “On violations of human rights in the Mari El Republic of the Russian Federation”. Europeans accused local and federal authorities of violating freedom of speech, intimidating journalists and infringing on the rights of the indigenous population.
The ex-governor was also criticized for incorrect communication with voters. Before the elections in 2015, having arrived at the opening of a feldsher-obstetric center in the village of Shimshurga, Markelov stated: “I’m so badly received the first time. Nowhere was it so that they grumbled. Perhaps I, too, should turn to you in the same place in which you turned to me. Yes? Close everything and leave. And dig the road. What are you grumbling, what do you dislike? " Subsequently, his press service called these words a joke.
In 2016, Markelov took 72-75th places out of 85 possible in the ranking of the effectiveness of governors of the Civil Society Development Fund. The Petersburg Politics Foundation and the Minchenko Consulting holding in the winter of 2016 gave it a “3” rating in the survival rating of the heads of regions. Markelov won the 2015 elections "despite the high anti-rating and electoral fatigue," experts said.