A court has recognized the evidence collected by the Novgorod Region Office of the Investigative Committee as sufficient to convict former head of the Novgorod Region Motorways Department Novgorodavtodor, a state-financed institution and former member of the Chudovo District Duma Nikolai Zakaldayev. He was found tuilty of fraud under Part 4 of Article 159, compelling to refuse a transaction under part 2, item “c” of Article 179 of the RF Penal Code, exceeding authority under Part 1 of Article 286 and taking a bribe under Part 5, item “c” of Article 290 of the RF Penal Code.
The court and investigators have established that Zakaldayev as part of an organized group which included first vice-governor of Novgorod Region Arnold Shalmuyev, stole more than 15 million rubles of budget money allocated to build motorways in the region. In addition, Zakaldayev compelled the CEO of a commercial organization to refuse a deal and took from CEO of Veche, a state-funded company, 250,000 rubles as a bribe for general patronage of motorway building industry in Novgorod Region.
The investigation took almost a year and half and comprises more than 180 files, while the indictment is more than 17,000 pages. The investigation was a difficult one owing to a large number of counts, witnesses, active position of the defense and the necessity of detailed examination of phone connections. To compensate the damage in the main case, the so-called motorway one, the investigation arrested the property of the accused worth some 170 million rubles including flats, houses and cars.
The court sentenced Zakaldayev to 8 years in a maximum-security correctional facility and a fine of 500,000 rubles.
Earlier Shalmuyev and other accomplices were got real sentences and a suspended one.
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