The Khabarovsk Regional Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has finished the probe into the Director of the Khabarovsk Municipal Unitary Enterprise “Vodokanal” accused of committing offences under Part 4 of Article 160, Parts 1 and 2 of Article 201, Part 7 of Article 204, and Part 4 of Article 174 of the Criminal Code of Russia (embezzlement, abuse of authority, commercial bribery, and legalization (laundering) of monetary funds).

According to the investigation, from March 2010 to March 2017, Vodokanal’s Director, his Deputy, and Chief Technology Officer, as well as persons engaged in entrepreneurial activities, had embezzled budgetary funds of Khabarovsk allocated within the framework of federal program “Economic and Social Development of the Far East and Transbaikal Region up to 2013” through purchase of equipment for water intake facilities of Tungusskoe Deposit at a price over-inflated by more than 19 million rubles.

Over 144 million rubles of the budgetary funds had been embezzled based on the same scheme under a contract for the purchase of electrical technical equipment for the construction of the water intake. In this, the official had received a commercial bribe of 28 million rubles from an entrepreneur involved in the illegal scheme for ensuring winning the procurement procedure for supply of equipment at a price double folding the market price of the equipment.

Moreover, being aware of the budget investment limits delivered and unused by the municipal institution in 2013, the Director of Vodokanal, in violation of the requirements of the law, had increased the cost of works under the previously concluded contract in order to create a prosperous visibility of high indicators of his work within the framework of a federal target program that had financed the construction of the Water Intake Facilities of Tungusskoe Deposit in the City of Khabarovsk. This had inflicted financial damage of over 250 million rubles to the budget of Municipal District of the City of Khabarovsk.

By abusing his authority, the official had illegally created preferential conditions for the affiliated company by illegal restrains on the competition and ensured conclusion of the contract for procurement of aluminum oxychloride for the needs of his enterprise at an over-inflated price, which had inflicted significant damage of over 26 million rubles to the enterprise.

Moreover, the Director had illegally used the money of his enterprise for the construction of an external water supply network of a drinking water factory belonging to his close relatives, worth about 1.5 million rubles. The named drinking water factory had been also illegally connected to a centralized water supply network without obtaining technical conditions, without required reconciliations, and without paying the price of over 5 million rubles.

The perpetrator had legalized (laundered) over 60 million of the money acquired by committing of the indicated offences by purchasing individual life insurances for himself and his close relatives.

The investigation gathered enough evidence; therefore, the criminal case with the approved indictment was sent to the court to be tried on the merits.

In order to secure compensation for the inflicted damage, the investigators arrested property of the accused--money, securities, vehicles, and real estate objects, totally worth over 300 million rubles.

Officers of the Khabarovsk Regional Directorate of the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia actively participated in the detection and investigation of the offences.