A court has recognized the evidence collected by the Omsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee sufficient to convict former first deputy governor of Omsk Region Yuri Gamburg. He was found guilty of crimes under Part 1 and Part 3, item “c” of Article 286 of the RF Penal Code (abuse of authority).
The court and investigators have revealed that in 2008-2012, Gamburg while serving as director of the property relations office of the Omsk city administration, together with the first deputy director of property relations office Vadim Merenkov, who is currently on the international wanted list, violated land laws and committed a number of illegal actions aimed at the disposal of municipal real assets.
Additionally, he provided for ownership 25 pieces of land with a total area of 26.5 ha for farming at knowingly underrated price to 5 citizens and a commercial company OOO Krona by illegally changing the type of use of the property. In fact all lands were located in residential construction block and were designed to for construction of residential buildings, including mansions, and for that reason their cost was much higher. As a result of illegal alienation the budgets of Omsk and Omsk Region suffered damage of over 200 million rubles.
In July 2007, Gamburg, acted against the law on privatization of state and municipal property and ignoring a court judgment that had entered into legal force, without following the procedure of bidding, and acting in the interests of a businesswoman, signed a knowingly illegal agreement under which the business lady became the owner of a non-residential premise of 300 square meters in area located in the center of the city. These actions of Ganburg caused the city of Omsk damage of 7.5 million rubles.
During the probe, Gamburg, who was remanded in custody, did not admit his guilt, claiming that his actions were well within the law. The investigators gathered impartial evidence exposing the official of official malfeasances. Following the investigation, a request was filed with the mayor of Omsk to eliminate the reasons and conditions that had contributed to the crime. Gamburg’s property worth 20 million rubles (a mansion with the land and collection guns) was arrested.
The court has sentenced Gamburg to 5.5 years in a minimum-security correctional facility a fine of 7 million 450 thousand rubles.
It should be noted that the criminal case against Gamburg’s accomplice former minister of property relations office Vadim Merenkov who is now wanted on 8 charges of a crime under paragraph “c” of part 3 of article 286 of the RF Penal Code (exceeding authority) has been severed to form a separate proceeding. At present Merenkov is internationally wanted and has been put in custody in absentia.
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