News

The Omsk Region investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have finished investigating a criminal case against First Deputy Governor of the Omsk Region Yuri Gamburg. He is charged with a crime under part 1 of article 286 of the RF Penal Code and 7 counts of the crime under paragraph “c” of part 3 of article 286 (exceeding authority).

According to investigators, in 2008-2012, Gamburg, being the director of the property relations office of the Omsk city administration, together with the first deputy director of property relations office Vadim Merenkov, who is currently on the international wanted list, violated land laws and committed a number of illegal actions aimed at providing for ownership 25 pieces of land with a total area of 26.5 ha for farming at knowingly underrated price to 5 citizens and a commercial company OOO Krona. In fact all lands were located in residential construction block and were designed to for construction of residential buildings, including mansions, and for that reason their cost was 60 times higher. As a result of illegal alienation the budgets of Omsk and Omsk Region suffered damage of over 400 million rubles.

Besides, in July 2007, Gamburg, acted against the law on privatization of state and municipal property and ignoring a court judgment that had entered into legal force, without following the procedure of bidding, and acting in the interests of a businesswoman, signed a knowingly illegal agreement under which the business lady became the owner of a non-residential premise of 300 square meters in area located in the center of the city. These actions of Ganburg caused the city of Omsk damage of 7.5 million rubles.

According to investigators the total sum of pecuniary damage caused by actions of the accused stands at 414 million rubles.

During the probe, Gamburg, who was remanded in custody, did not admit his guilt, claiming that his actions were well within the law. Gamburg’s defenders put forward different theories and deliberately procrastinated the procedure of reading the records, which compiled 50 volumes, therefore the investigators had to file a request with court asking to limit the time of executing the requirements of article 217 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The regional court did not satisfy the appeal case filed by Gamburg’s lawyers. The investigators gathered impartial evidence exposing the official of official malfeasances. Gamburg will remain in custody until 24 February 2015.

The investigators have gathered enough evidence, so the criminal case with the approved indictment will soon be sent to court to be tried on the merits.

It should be noted that the criminal case against Gamburg’s accomplice former minister of property relations office Vadim Merenkov who is now wanted on 8 charges of a crime under paragraph “c” of part 3 of article 286 of the RF Penal Code (exceeding authority) has been severed to form a separate proceeding. At present Merenkov is internationally wanted and has been put in custody in absentia.