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The investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee for the Volgograd Region continues investigating a criminal case opened in frauds in buying flats for orphans in Dubovskoye District, Volgograd Region. The charges of a crime under part 3 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code has been pressed against Irina Glushko, a relator, who used a fraudulent scheme and took part in an open tender held by the district administration in 2012 to buy flats for orphans on the money allocated from the budget. She stole a large sum of money by selling to the municipality a house hot fit for living worth much lower than it was declared during the tender.

The occasion for the case was an article found in an Internet new outlet by the Volgograd Region Investigations Directorate during their monitoring of media for the reports on crimes committed or plotted.

The investigators have established that Glushko supervised the transaction concluded between the seller of the shack and the administration. Knowing for sure that the house for sale located in the village of Davydovka, Dubovskoye District, Volgograd Region, was absolutely unfit for living in it and requires a complete overhaul, she still filed an application for the tender on the flat for an orphan. The application was the only one. Under the sales contract concluded with local government body 749 thousand 100 rubles was allocated from the budget. The accused gave 460 thousand rubles from the sum to former owner of the shack and took the rest 290 thousand to herself. By now she has admitted her guilt and is ready to return the stolen money.

The investigators have some questions to ask employees of the administration as well, who prior to signing all the papers and transferring the full sum did not examine the property on its compliance with technical requirements.

The investigating bodies were not settled with the identification and detainment of the accused, but restored the rights of the orphan. They immediately informed the head of the region about the situation. After that the authorities found additional budget funds necessary to repair the house for the victim. Moreover, the money returned by Glushko will be spent on the same purpose.

Considering that the fact of fraud committed against the orphan resonated widely in public, senior assistant to the Investigative Committee Chairman Igor Komissarov arrived in the Volgograd Region on 26 June 2014on the order of the Russia’s Investigative Committee Chairman.

The mission of the investigating bodies during this probe is not only ensuring unavoidability of punishment for the crime, but elimination of any possibility that the same scheme can be used in implementation of the state’s obligations to orphans. Multiple similar crimes in the region indicate that there is the necessity to solve the problem. In 2013, officials of the administration in Kalach-on-Don District, Volgograd Region were punished for taking bribes for ensuring victory on tenders for buying flats for orphans. Dadayev, deputy head of the district administration, was sentenced to 8 years in prison, his accomplice, head of guardianship office, Kiselyova was fined for 500 thousand rubles.

Mr. Komissarov held a meeting with the senior officials of the Volgograd Region investigating bodies, chairman of the regional parliament, members of advisory and public councils of the Investigations Directorate, responsible officials of the regional government, as well as representatives of law enforcement and surveillance agencies. The participants outlined measures allowing preventing stealing and embezzlement of budgetary funds allocated on buying flats for orphans and children left without parental care. They include creating additional mechanisms of control over executive authorities, providing tenders with public control measures and their wide coverage by media before holding.

Mr. Komissarov together with senior officials of the Investigations Directorate met the victim in her house and the head of the region. He checked the progress of the repairs, which will also be kept under special control of the investigating bodies until absolutely complete.

It should be noted that from the moment of foundation and until present time protection of rights and legal interests of citizens and in the first place those form socially vulnerable categories is a top-priority of the Russia’s Investigative Committee, especially when it is regarding orphans and children left without parental care. At present there are 8.5 thousand of such children in the Volgograd Region. Most of them are in need of flats bought on the municipal funds, but the practice shows that it is a petri dish for unclean hands of officials, realtors and swindlers. However, the Investigative Committee guarantees that no such crime goes unsolved, all those guilty will be brought to justice.