400 million rubles were evaporated from Bashspirt

The Department of the TFR for Bashkiria opened a criminal case on abuse of power, fraud and embezzlement in the state JSC “Bashspirt”. According to the investigation, in 2019-2020, officials of the enterprise caused damage to Bashspirt in the amount of more than 400 million rubles. According to the department, in particular, goods and services were purchased at inflated prices, premises were rented for the Tantana retail chain of stores. The former general director of Bashspirt, Rauf Nugumanov, refrained from commenting.

The second Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Republican Directorate of the TFR, based on the materials of the regional FSB, opened a criminal case on grounds of abuse of power (clause “c” part 3 of article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), fraud (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), misappropriation or embezzlement (part 4 of article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) in Bashspirt JSC. According to the press service of the republican department of the TFR, in 2019-2020, Bashspirt officials, in violation of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”, concluded more than 4 thousand contracts for the purchase of goods and services with single suppliers. At the same time, the department noted, the cost of contracts was overstated.

Investigators were also interested in the 2019 deal, when Bashspirt took a three-story building of the Bushmarins’ house on Lenin Street in Ufa with a total area of ​​about 660 sq. m (included in the register of cultural heritage), restored from scratch in 2017. The cost of rent, according to the TFR, amounted to 177 million rubles. In the building “Bashspirt” opened the flagship store “Tantana”. Later, when the owner of the property changed (Albert Zaripov became it), Bashspirt entered into an additional agreement with him to the contract, according to which the rent increased to 203 million rubles. At the same time, the department notes, Mr. Zaripov purchased the building from the previous owner for 20.6 million rubles.

JSC Bashspirt is 100% owned by the Republic of Bashkortostan. According to market participants, at the end of 2022, the company ranked seventh among vodka producers in Russia (3.94 million dal). According to the company, the Tantana retail chain has 170 stores. Bashspirt’s revenue in 2021, according to SPARK-Interfax, amounted to 5.67 billion rubles, net profit – 71 million rubles.

For 50 million rubles. Bashspirt renovated the building and also purchased furniture.

“At the same time, the cost of work and goods was higher than the market value, and the contractors were persons and organizations controlled by the joint-stock company,” the TFR said.

“At the direction and with the approval of the officials of Bashspirt JSC,” the department added in the regional department, the management of the Bashspirt trading house sold real estate objects located in different regions of the republic at reduced prices. According to the investigation, the market value of the buildings was over 200 million rubles, and they were sold for 132 million rubles. The buyers of the assets were “acquaintances, relatives and friends of affiliated persons from among the officials of Bashspirt JSC”, former employees and members of the board of directors of Bashspirt Trade House LLC. Subsequently, these objects were rented by the trading house “Bashspirt” from the new owners “with clearly inflated rental payments,” the TFR noted.

The total amount of damage, according to investigators, amounted to over 400 million rubles.

At the end of December last year, according to the Proofs portal, employees of the Federal Security Service for Bashkiria seized documents at the head office of Bashspirt. In August, the prosecutor’s office of Bashkiria sent a request to the Ministry of Land and Property Relations of the republic with a request to provide information on the validity of the reconstruction and repair at the expense of “Bashspirt” of the Bushmarins’ house.

Rauf Nugumanov was the CEO of Bashspirt from January 10, 2019 to May 27, 2022. In this position, he was replaced by the former head of the control department of the administration of the head of Bashkiria, Ural Farvazov, and in August the former deputy prime minister of Bashkiria, Raif Abdrakhimov, became the new general director of the enterprise.

Rauf Nugumanov refrained from commenting. “The investigation will show,” he said.