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In Buryatia, during investigation functionaries to be identified whose illegal actions caused poor housing for orphans

The Buryat Regional Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened an investigation under Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of Russia (exceeding official powers), into illegal actions of functionaries of the Ministry of Construction and Development of Housing and Utilities Complex of the Republic of Buryatia at acceptance of houses for orphans.

According to the investigation, in 2015-2017, the Ministry of Construction and Development of Housing and Utilities Complex of the Republic of Buryatia had signed eight state contracts upon results of a tender with a range of individual entrepreneurs, on purchases of 254 residential houses in Sotnikovo rural settlement of Ivolginsk District of Buryatia in order to create a special-purpose housing foundation for orphans and children left without parental care. Later, all the purchased houses were given to such children through the Family Republican Resource Centre under first-hand contracts. However, most of the houses were unfit for occupation owing to violations during their construction. Investigators discovered defects during an inspection, as follows: mould at the level of the seismic belt and ceilings; low temperature in residential premises; rotting floors; cracks on interroom interior walls; wetting around the perimeter of the ventilation pipe and chimney; malfunction and rotting of entrance doors; and others, which appeared immediately after the settlement or in a short period of time after the start of operation of the residential premises.

Nevertheless, functionaries of the Ministry of Construction and Development of Housing and Utilities Complex of the Republic of Buryatia signed acceptance reports on the houses that later proved to be unfit for occupation. Thus, socially unprotected citizens - orphaned children - who are to be lawfully provided with well-appointed housing had to live in these, almost emergency, conditions.

At the moment, the investigation carries out required investigative activities in order to identify functionaries involved in the offence, as well as to restore the violated rights of the children. All of the citizens of orphaned and left without parental care children, who received the houses unfit for occupation, will be recognised as victims with the respective amount of the procedural rights.