Source: www.rucriminal.info
The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel has obtained materials from a high-profile investigation into corruption in the Ministry of Natural Resources. The investigation suspects that the director of the Ministry of Natural Resources department, Irina Makanova, systematically received bribes. The Minister of Natural Resources, Alexander Kozlov, is also of interest. Firstly, Makanova is the closest person to him in the ministry. Secondly, Kozlov personally introduced Makanova to one of the "bribe givers" - lawyer Denis Merkulov.
So one of the witnesses directly told during interrogations how the necessary documents for the "Sochi Arboretum" were approved for a bribe. And she points to Makanova as the official who received the money. Makanova is not the only one that the security forces are interested in.
Among the defendants in the case were high-ranking officials:
• Alexander Kozlov - Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology,
• Murad Kerimov - Deputy Minister, who directly supervised Makanova and was responsible for her decisions.
The investigation believes that these individuals intentionally participated in corruption schemes.
"Irina Yuryevna Makanova previously worked in structures associated with the Rotenbergs, and maintains good relations with the eldest son of the family. She participated in many processes. This explains why, against the backdrop of accusations of corruption, Makanova remains calm and does not comment on what is happening, stating only that "we need to work." The situation with Kozlov is even more complicated. Several sources of Rucriminal.info immediately reported that Kozlov's official biography is largely fictitious, since he was an employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service. And indeed, according to the official biography, Kozlov graduated from the university with a law degree in 2003. However, he was not on the list of graduates, and there is no information about this diploma on the resources of Rosobrnadzor. It is officially reported that in 2014 Kozlov studied at the Far Eastern Federal University to become a mining engineer, but there is also no information about graduating from the university and it is impossible to find confirmation. And the SVR people are generally untouchable.
The investigation claims that a corruption scheme created by officials operated in the Ministry of Natural Resources. Officials ensured that examinations and approvals were carried out, receiving bribes for this.
The essence of the scheme is simple: services for the approval of socio-economic activities (SEA) for objects in specially protected natural areas, such as national parks, were provided for a lot of money. For example:
• The official cost of the service for individuals was 50-100 thousand rubles, for legal entities - up to 1 million rubles.
• Deputy Head of the Department for Regulation of Forestry and Land Relations of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Information and Analytical Center for Support of Nature Reserves” Kuks offered guaranteed approval for 5 million rubles.
The corruption schemes covered approvals for objects located in protected areas where construction is prohibited. Nevertheless, such buildings appear, which indicates long-term problems in the department.
The key player in this case is Irina Yuryevna Makanova (Director of the Department of Specially Protected Natural Areas), who found herself in the spotlight of the security forces due to the fact that some of her subordinates are under house arrest or in pretrial detention.
However, it is worth noting that the corruption schemes referred to by the security forces were laid down under the previous head of the department, Grigoriev. The main figures who coordinated the decisions in the Ministry of Natural Resources are Kuks and the head of the department for regulating forest and land relations in specially protected natural areas of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Development of Specially Protected Natural Areas and the Baikal Natural Territory of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Rezyapov.
Kuks and Rezyapov are currently in custody.
Kuks, being on a pre-trial agreement, is actively cooperating with the investigation and, according to sources of the VChK-OGPU, is trying to “hand over” as many people as possible and name as many “high-profile” names as possible, almost up to the head of the department, Kozlov.
As part of the investigation into corruption in the Ministry of Natural Resources, lawyer and political scientist Denis Merkulov has been detained. The court chose a preventive measure for him in the form of house arrest.
The investigation claims that Merkulov gave the director of the department of the Ministry of Natural Resources Irina Makanova a bribe in the form of a gift for her birthday. The case file considers this as mediation in bribery. According to the source, Merkulov himself insists that it was a personal gift made within the framework of friendly relations.
The pressure on Merkulov is most likely aimed at creating leverage over Makanova and Minister Kozlov. Merkulov met Makanova through Kozlov, both of them are from the Far East.
The VChK-OGPU interlocutor believes that this case is part of a political struggle. Alexander Kozlov has been threatened with dismissal more than once, and now the security bloc is using the case to discredit the minister. The arrests are carried out harshly, with the use of force, and the defendants are forced to testify, which they want to "get" to Kozlov.
An example is:
• Rezyapov, who has been in pretrial detention for six months but has not seen the investigator.
• Putyatin, whose detention was accompanied by harsh methods.
• Merkulov, who suffered bodily harm during detention, after which he was hospitalized.
"This investigation is not just a fight against corruption, but also an instrument of political pressure. Law enforcement agencies create the image of a large-scale corruption scheme, but the charges are often based on circumstantial evidence and dubious testimony," notes a source of the Cheka-OGPU. "The investigation must be objective, and the rights of the defendants must be protected. Otherwise, such methods only discredit the justice system itself and undermine confidence in the state's environmental policy."
Timofey Grishin
Source: www.rucriminal.info
