News

Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated criminal cases over swindling based on the audit materials on misapplication of budget funds during preparation for XXI Winter Olympic Games 2010 in Vancouver received from the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation.

It was established that OOO Europroject (LLC) indeed organized sports events within the framework of a single calendar plan in 2008. At the end of the year the company submitted necessary documents confirming spending of funds. But there were no documents concerning more than 200 million rubles. Then the fact became a base to start a criminal case against CEO of Europroject Valery Uskov. Investigators found that the funds had not been stolen and later were returned to the federal state institution Center for Sport Training of Russian National Teams (hereinafter Center for Sport Training of Russian National Teams). Enforcement proceedings were instituted over the not-returned sum of 4.7 million rubles.

In 2009 the same kind of work under the government contract was executed by ZAO OLIMP (CJSC). The second criminal case investigated was against CEO of the company Yuri Pushkaryov. The debt of ZAO OLIMP to Center for Sport Training of Russian National Teams was 6 million rubles. Investigators found that initial documents stating spending of these funds had been actually submitted, but later got lost. This way, investigators did not find any facts of embezzlement by ZAO OLIMP.

Investigators believe that due to the lack of signs of stealing which were assumed at the first stage of the investigation, the legal relationships between the above mentioned companies are of civil nature. Accordingly, criminal cases were dismissed due to absence of crime.

No signs of crime have been found in the actions of Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, within investigation of the criminal case signs of new crimes concerning stealing of budget money on a grand scale of more than 20 million rubles owned by Center for Sport Training of Russian National Teams have been found in the actions of a founder of OOO Europroject Dmitry Artyukhovsky and his accomplices.

Investigators believe that no later than December 2008 Dmitry Artyukhovsky united with Valery Uskov, Artyom Yefimtsev and Andrei Kiselyov into an organized group to steal budget funds owned by Center for Sport Training of Russian national Teams. In 2009-2010 they pretended to render services to Russian sportsmen in making visa documents and information and technical maintenance of sports events and this way they stole more than 20 million rubles by submitting to Center for Sport Training of Russian National Teams knowingly forged statement of completion.

At present Artyukhovsky, Uskov, Yefimtsev and Kiselyov are charged with a crime under p-art 1 of article 159 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code – swindling committed by an organized group on a grand scale. Besides, Artyukhovsky and Kiselyov are also charged with laundering money, received by them as a result of a crime on a large scale committed by a group of persons in a preliminary conspiracy (paragraphs “a, b” of part 2 of article 174.1 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code).

Considering the circumstances of the crime and the information characterizing the accused, the four accused have been out under a written undertaking not to leave the place and proper behavior. In the near future investigation will be finished and the accused and their lawyers will begin reading the files of the case.