News

A court has recognized the evidence gathered by the Moscow Directorate of the Investigative Committee as sufficient to convict former director of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service Alexander Reimer, his former deputy Nikolai Krivolapov and director of the Federal Penitentiary Service’s IT and Communications Center Viktor Opredelyonov. Depending on the role of each one, they were found guilty of fraud under Part 4 of Article 159 and illegal purchase and storage of ammunition under Article 222 of the RF Criminal Code.

The court and investigators have revealed that in 2010-2012, the accomplices defrauded the Federal Penitentiary Service of over 1.3 billion rubles allocated from the federal budget to provide the authority with electronic control systems or electronic bracelets.

Though Reimer, Krivolapov and Opredelyonov denied the charges, the investigators managed to get enough evidence of their guilt. They established that creating the IT and Communications Center and its branch office in Samara had been part of their scam. This had enabled them to put it up for a governmental order of the electronic bracelets without inviting an open bidding. They were also able to unfold production of the bracelets in Meta firm’s premises using their staff, as there was no qualified staff or working area in the Center, while Meta made the bracelets at a half-price. It then gave them over to the Center which passed it to the Federal Penitentiary Service. The price was approved by Reimer in person, while calculations of the bracelets’ cost were signed by Opredelyonov.

A forensic merchandising expert examination analyzed the prices carefully over a number of years and found that they were inflated manifold. For example, a bracelet that was purchased at 119 thousand rubles in fact cost 19 thousand rubles, and that applied to all components. Accounting, merchandising, technical, handwriting expert examinations were also run and added to the evidence.

The investigators took steps to ensure that the damage was compensated and the sentence executed.

The court has sentenced Reimer to 8 years in a minimum-security prison and a fine of 800 thousand rubles. Krivolapov and Opredelyonov to 5 years 8 months and 6 years in a minimum-security prison respectively.

Official spokesperson for the RF Investigative Committee                                                                     S.L. Petrenko