The Moscow Region Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal proceeding against the first deputy head of Sergiyevo-Posadsky municipality, Moscow Region Sergey Tostanovsky suspected of a crime under part 2 of article 286 of the RF Criminal Code (exceeding official powers).
According to investigators, on 10 April 2009, Tostanovsly, doing the duty of the head of Sergiyevo-Posadsky municipality and knowing that a land plot of 707 thousand square meters near the village of Novoselki was within the guarded area of the ancient city of Radonezh passed a resolution to change the kind of permitted land use. Investigators believe that by this resolution Tostanovsky illegally changed the kind of permitted land use, which had been obtained earlier for agriculture and changed for building summer cottages, that means the activity not referring to the preservation of this historical sight, its organization and activity. The said illegal actions entailed a flagrant violation of the current regime of land use in the guarded area of the ancient city of Radonezh. The land was surveyed and a cottage village Radonezhskiye Prostory was built there. In addition, drainage ditches were made along the roads, dumps of roadways and foundation pits were dug for future buildings. Building and laying communications grossly violated the current regimes of land use.
This way, the above-stated involved breakage of historical scenery and integral historical concept of the whole territory of the sight, distortion of visual comprehension of the territory of the cultural historical sight and consequently a considerable violation of interests of the society and the state protected by the law. The cost of restoring meadows and other lands of XV-XIX centuries in the historical territories of the ancient city of Radonezh is estimated at no less than 7 million rubles.
At present investigating operations are underway to find all the circumstances of the incident and to gather evidence. Investigation is ongoing.
Head of Media Relations V.I. Markin
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