The investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee in Yaroslavl Region have launched a criminal case against former chairman of the regional electoral commission Denis Vasilyev. He is suspected of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale (part 6 of article 290 of the RF Penal Code). A criminal case has also been started against two cofounders of an advertising company suspected of a crime under part 5 of article 291 of the RF Penal Code (giving a bribe to an official in person for illegal actions by a group of people in a preliminary conspiracy and on an especially large scale).

According to investigators, in the period between 20 July and 10 August 2013 Vasilyev while disbursing the money allocating for a marketing campaign offered cofounders of the advertising company for a fee of 5 million rubles to help the company in concluding contracts on notifying the people about the coming elections of deputies in Yaroslavl Region Duma of 6^th convocation worth a total of 10 million 500 thousand rubles. From 14 to 28 August 2013, Vasilyev wanting to get the bribe and using his official position gave an illegal order to his subordinate chairpersons of electoral commissions to sing the said contracts with the abovementioned advertising company and with its affiliated organizations.

To pay for the said services no less than 10 million 500 thousand rubles was allocated to the territorial electoral commissions of Yaroslavl Region, which later came to the actual disposal of the cofounders of the advertising company. A part of the sum, about 5 million rubles, was spent on services to territorial electoral commissions and another part represented a personal profit.

According to the agreement reached before, on 4 October 2013, the cofounders of the advertising company on Chelyuskintsev Square in Yaroslavl gave Vasilyev a bribe of 2 million rubles. On 9 October 2013, Basilyev got the second portion of 2 million 700 thousand rubles.

At present investigating operations are underway to gather and consolidate the evidence. Investigators are considering the pretrial restraining measure.