News

The investigative authorities of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory have initiated a criminal case against a former public advisor to the head of Sochi on financial and economic issues and his six accomplices, suspected of receiving large bribes as an organized group, combined with extortion (clauses "a", "b", "v" of Part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the RF).

According to the investigation, by no later than November 2023, the then current public advisor to the head of the city of Sochi, knowing that the provision of burial plots in cemeteries according to the current legislation is free of charge, decided to start receiving illegal remuneration for this. To execute his plan, the man created an organized group, involving the head of the funeral services department of the city administration's urban management department and his subordinate, as well as the general director and accountant of a private funeral agency, an employee of the municipal specialized funeral services, and a private entrepreneur providing services in this field. According to their assigned roles, the criminals created conditions under which burial in cemeteries was only possible upon payment of bribes, ranging from 200,000 to 3 million rubles.

According to preliminary data, the monthly income of the organized group ranged from 10 to 15 million rubles, which the accomplices distributed among themselves.

Investigators were able to expose the criminal scheme thanks to materials provided by the service in Sochi of the Federal Security Service (FSS) of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory, and the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department of the Sochi Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory.

Today, as part of the investigation, investigators, together with FSS and police officers, with the support of special units of the regional Rosgvardiya department, conducted searches at the residences of the suspects and related individuals, as well as the premises occupied by the suspects and their organizations, at 25 addresses in Sochi. During the searches, investigators seized more than 15 million rubles, as well as foreign currency, documents, and other items relevant to the criminal case.

Investigators are currently working with the suspects and carry out necessary investigative actions, aimed at identifying possible other episodes of illegal activity and other individuals involved in the criminal scheme.