News

The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against the former senior managers of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano) - Director General of the corporation Leonid Melamed, his deputy Andrey Malyshev, and Chief Financial Officer Svyatoslav Ponurov. They are suspected of large-scale embezzlement of state property entrusted to them using their official position (article 4, article 160 of the RF Criminal Code).

During investigative actions, officers of the Economic Security Service of the Federal Security Service and the Main Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Enforcement of the Russian Interior Ministry detained Melamed as a suspect. His home was searched. Today, at the request of the investigator, the court determined to put Melamed under house arrest.

According to investigators, in 2007-2009, Melamed, being at the same time a co-owner of the investment and financial corporation "Alemar" (IFC Alemar, JSC), organized the conclusion of an agreement on the provision of consulting services between Rusnano and the said corporation. Under the guise of these services, Malyshev and Ponurov, pursuant to a Melamed's decision, within six months, illegally transferred more than 220 million rubles allocated to the corporation by the Russian Federation as a property contribution.

However, Melamed was well aware that the services ordered from IFC Alemar, JSC, were functions of the Rusnano corporation itself, and, in this regard, the involvement of third-party services on a reimbursable basis for the same purpose was in non-compliance with the requirements of federal law.

When preparing the crime, Melamed invited and hired for work at Rusnano  the former employees of IFC Alemar, JSC, Malyshev and Ponurov, and personally gave them the power to dispose of property of the corporation and sign any financial and settlement documents.

Put simply, quitting Rusnano, Melamed created all the conditions for the traansfer of budgetary funds to the company controlled by him, thus securing a so-called "golden parachute".

It is at least strange that parties concerned, including the Rusnano press service, unfamiliar with the case files, describe the position of investigators and give their counterarguments and, at the same time, express their readiness to cooperate with investigators. A good start for cooperation! As for the investigation, we are not accusing anyone yet, we only say that a criminal case has been filed and that we have suspects. I request that persons who are not parties to the proceedings refrain from commenting. As for the alleged offers of cooperation with investigators, we will take note of it. But so far the evidence collected by highly-skilled officers of the Interior Ministry and the Federal security Service under the guidance of Investigative Committee investigators is enough. Work in this direction has been continuing successfully for more than a month already.