Today Moscow Interregional Transport Investigations Directorate of Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case against deputy head of information and technical service of Central Base Customs of Russian Federal Customs Service Ruslan Lagutkin and two businessmen from Moscow – Roman Peshkov and Alexey Nesterov. They are suspected of a crime under part 4 of article 159 of the RF Criminal Code (stealing of another’s property by deceit committed by a group of people under a preliminary conspiracy on an especially large scale). The official’s crime has additional qualification – using official position.
According to investigators, in early 2012, Lagutkin entered a criminal conspiracy with CEO of two firms supplying electrical appliances Peshkov and employee of one of the firms Nesterov, to win a tender and signs a state contract on supplying the customs bodies with audio technical and video projecting equipment at an inflated price. In March last year the accomplices made tender documents which did not meet the laws on state orders and made the tender unattractive for potential participants. Then through Lagutkin they forwarded the documents into the tender commission of Central Base Customs of Russian Federal Customs Service. As a result only three organizations controlled by members of the criminal group were allowed to take part in the tender and with one of them a 52 million rubles contract was signed.
The maximum market price of the equipment considering delivery, mounting, setting and commission as of the contract date did not exceeded 26 million rubles. The difference between the contract cost and actual purchasing price was cashed and appropriated by the accomplices through phony companies.
This way, the Russian Ministry of Finance suffered damage of more than 25 million rubles, which is especially large scale.
At present all the suspects are detained under article 91 of the RF Criminal Procedure Code. Their flats and offices, including those in the building of Central Base Customs and firms involved in the criminal scheme are being searched, objects and documents proving that the accomplices were involved in the criminal activity are being seized. Other investigating and search operations are underway to find all the circumstances of the crime. Criminal investigation is ongoing.
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