News

The Perm Territory investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have finished investigating a criminal case against eight residents of Perm Territory, one of whom is a former deputy of Kultayevka village council of deputies and another is the former head of Kultayevka village. Depending on the role of each one they are charged with crimes under part 4 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code (fraud – 68 counts), part 3 of article 30, part 4 of article 159 (attempted fraud – 4 counts), part 4 of article 290 (bribetaking by the head of local government), paragraph “c” of part 5 of article 290 (bribetaking by the head of local government on a large scale), part 3 of article 159 (fraud committed by a person using their position) and part 1 of article 291.1 (mediation in bribery).

According to investigators, in spring and summer 2009, the head of Kultayevka administration set up an organized criminal group of 5 people to commit frauds – acquiring by deception ownership of lands, the state ownership of which had not been delimited and located in the village of Kultayevka, Perm District, Perm Territory. The group operated from 2009 to 2011.

To get the ownership of the lands the members of the group in person and via acquaintances of theirs found citizens, who for a small fee issued a power of attorney to register in the Perm Territory Office of the Federal State Registration Service ownership of allegedly their lands and to sell them in future. The extracts from tax books necessary to register ownership of the said lands were initially from summer 2009 till early 2010 were made and signed by the head of administration or following his orders by a specialist of administration, who was not aware of the crime. From early 2010 to late 2011, the documents were made by one of the defendants by forging the specialist’s signature. The administration head used his position to certify the extracts by a stamp of Kultayevka. Using those extracts the members of the group illegally registered the ownership of the lands on the names of the local residents they had found and deceived the Perm Territory Office of the Federal State Registration Service about the citizens’ ownership of those lands. In fact they had never used those lands and had no right on them. Later the members of the criminal group could use the lands based on the powers of attorney. They sold the lands and spent the money. Over the said period the defendants fraudulently acquired the ownership of 68 plots of land worth over 23 million rubles and attempted to get ownership of 4 more plots of land worth over 1 million rubles.

In addition, in 2009-2010, six of the defendants illegally got ownership of some real estate of a company by using forged documents. Later the real estates were sold. Their actions caused the company a loss of at least 29 million rubles. Having acquired ownership of buildings and constructions of the company, the defendants bought ownership of the lands the buildings were placed on at reduced price. This way the state suffered a loss of around 17 million rubles.

Besides, the investigators have revealed that the former head of the village administration took bribes on 7 occasions from August 2009 to January 2010 with complicity of one of the defendants for handling the matter of leasing the lands to citizens. The bribes amounted to between 120 and 200 thousand rubles.

In all, the investigators have revealed 87 counts of crimes committed by the former head of the village administration and his accomplices. At the request of investigators, the court has arrested the property of the defendants worth 85 million rubles to compensate the damaged caused.

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.