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Additional episode of illegal activities revealed during investigation into bribe-taking in the Ministry of Agriculture of the Krasnodar Territory

The Krasnodar Regional Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia continues the investigation of a probe into Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Processing Industry of Krasnodar Territory and his subordinate accused of bribe-taking committed by an organised group through an official position on an especially large scale (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of Russia). Apart from that, a probe was launched into several Ministry officials accused of large-scale bribe-taking committed by a group of persons through an official position (Paragraphs A, C of Part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of Russia).

It was established that, from October 2017, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture chaired the contest jury for the selection of participants of a program for agricultural development of the Krasnodar Territory. Within this program, agricultural consumer cooperatives were awarded grants for the development of a logistics base. According to the investigation, in November 2017, the Chairman of an agricultural consumer domestic supply cooperative, willing to receive a subsidy within the agricultural program, addressed the Chairman of the contest jury for advice. In his turn, the official told the man that he would be granted a subsidy of 30 million rubles for cooperative development if the sum of money equal to 10 percent of the subsidy was handed over to the official through his subordinate. During this period of time, the entrepreneur handed to the officials 500,000 rubles as a part of the demanded sum of money, after which, in December 2017, the man received the grant he needed for the development of his consumer cooperative.

To remind, in February 2019, the Chairwoman of an agricultural consumer cooperative, willing to receive a subsidy for the development of her complex, applied to the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the investigation, the Head of the Department of Small Farms Development of the Ministry told the woman that she could receive assistance in getting the subsidy of 40 million rubles if she handed him the sum of money equal to 10 percent of the subsidy to be passed to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture--the Chairman of the contest jury. The woman reported that demand to the law enforcement units. On April 30, 2019, the Head of the Department met with the woman and received 4 million rubles from her; on the same night, he handed the money over to the Minister of Agriculture. Further activities were impeded by operative officers of the Directorate for Economic Security and Corruption Control of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Krasnodar Territory.

At present, the probes have been combined in one. A set of investigative actions aimed to establish the circumstances of the committed offenses and to detect other possible episodes of illegal activities is underway. The criminal investigation is ongoing.