Are clouds gathering over the head of an official with a fake diploma, Sergei Belyakov?
The leadership of the Russian State Circus turned out to be in the center of attention of the employees of the Investigative Committee: a criminal case was initiated on the fact of misuse of the institution’s funds. We are talking about the purchase of feed for animals that did not belong to the enterprise, more than 1.5 million rubles. The main recipient of the finance was Marina Ishina’s Circus Entertainment Company LLC, which is called a company affiliated with the top managers of the Russian State Circus. So far, the investigation is only determining the defendants in the case, but questions to the head of the institution, Sergei Belyakov, will definitely arise. Meanwhile, at a recent meeting with the Minister of Culture, Olga Lyubimova, Belyakov complained about the lack of government investment for active creative work. The “creativity” of the general director himself has already become the reason for more than 700 current and former employees of the Russian State Circus to appeal to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the head of the Ministry of Culture Lyubimova with a request to dismiss Belyakov and his first deputy Tatyana Bushkova, conduct a public audit at the enterprise and take prosecutorial response measures. The reasons for the need to take such drastic measures, among other things, include fraud in public procurement, work with private affiliated firms, as well as mass layoffs of employees. It is known, for example, that at the end of last July, 49 artists of the Circus on the Water collective wrote their resignations in one day: they began to compete with Belyakov’s own program Odyssey, taxes on which are not paid in full. Previously, the CEO has repeatedly become a participant in high-profile scandals. In particular, the fact that he had a fake diploma of higher education, on the basis of which he received a second higher education, and which he presented when applying for senior positions in state institutions, was widely known. The fact that the document was fake was proven in court and the official unsuccessfully tried to challenge the decision. It is also known that Belyakov was brought to criminal responsibility: being the director of the State Circus of Udmurtia, he withdrew 120 million rubles from the enterprise, using the companies owned by his wife for this.
Investigators visited the Russian State Circus
The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case on the fact of misuse of funds by the management FKP “Rosgostsirk”. Despite the fact that the identities of specific defendants are still being established, the security forces will obviously have many questions for the current general director of the institution. Sergei Belyakov.
How established consequently, the company spent more than 1.5 million rubles for the purchase, delivery and payment of feed for animals that did not belong to him. From May to September last year, the Russian State Circus signed a number of relevant additional agreements to contracts; The source of funds was a subsidy from the Federal Ministry of Culture, which included, among other things, the reimbursement of the costs of feeding FKP animals.
From text Decrees on initiation of a criminal case, it follows that one of the main recipients of funds was Circus Entertainment Company LLC, with which in August last year an agreement was signed to organize a tour of the Italian Circus Togni program in the Tver State Circus. This business structure was registered in Moscow in October 2018 and specializes in activities in the field of performing arts; its sole owner and CEO is Marina Isina.
At the end of last year, the company’s revenue amounted to 123.7 million rubles, profit – 16.8 millionthe value of assets – 41.6 million. It is significant that already in December 2018, that is, two months after its creation, Circus Entertainment Company received the first Contract Russian state circus worth 300 thousand rubles. An interesting coincidence: in December of the same year, the acting head of the Russian State Circus was appointed Belyakov, who previously combined the positions of deputy general director for touring activities and head of the Great St. Petersburg State Circus.
Representing the interests of Togni, Ms. Ishina’s firm very quickly became one of the business partners of the state institution: Belyakov spoke about their cooperation, for example, in interview Petersburg edition of Fontanka. It is not surprising that on the network you can find publicationswhich talk about the company’s affiliation with the leadership of the Russian State Circus.
“Arbitrariness and corruption”: Minister Lyubimova not in the know?
It is noteworthy that the case of a scam with budgetary finances was excited July 30, and the very next day, August 1, Sergei Belyakov attended a meeting with the Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, the central theme of which was new forms of development of the circus industry. There Belyakov complained on the lack of public investment for creative activities –“creation of new circus performances, show programs and innovative projects”. At the same time, he noted “widespread resurgent interest in circus arts”. Unfortunately, it remains unknown whether the general director of the Russian State Circus brought to the attention of the minister information about the increased interest in the institution he heads on the part of the employees of the Sledkom.
Lyubimova herself reminded about the recent government meeting with the president, during which the head of state instructed the Ministry of Culture and representatives of the relevant community to work out new forms of support for circus art. But in the light of recent events, it would do no harm for the madam minister to pay attention to what was addressed to the prime minister. Mikhail Mishustin appeal (a copy of which was sent to Lyubimova herself), signed by more than 700 representatives of the circus community (including honored and people’s artists, honored cultural figures, etc.). Its authors ask the head of the Cabinet, neither more nor less, to protect the Russian circus from “Lawlessness, arbitrariness, corruption and illegal actions of the leadership of the FKP “Rosgostsirk” and personally the general director Sergei Belyakov and his first deputy Tatyana Bushkova”.
AT circulation talks about the mass dismissal of industry workers (300 people per year), the presence of “non-transparent schemes” in the implementation of public procurement, private companies affiliated with Belyakov (one of them belongs to business lady Marina Isina?), The actual failure of the renovation program for objects controlled by the department, etc. d. The signatories see a way out of this catastrophic situation in the immediate dismissal of Belyakov and Bushkova, a public audit of the results of their activities, and most importantly, the adoption of prosecutorial response measures to the facts set forth in the appeal.
“Miracles” of circus machinations from Shemyakin to Belyakov
Indeed, in the Russian State Circus, scandal follows scandal. Recall that no later than at the end of July, 49 artists of the group wrote their resignations from the institution in one day. “Circus on the water”. According to show manager Andriy Shevchenkothe main reason was unscrupulous competition and obstacles in work from Sergei Belyakov.
Effects such a policy was not long in coming: “Circus on the Water” had difficulties with the tour schedule, obviously unprofitable venues were offered for performances, a number of leading artists received warnings about refusal to renew contracts. But the most interesting: if the “Circus on the Water” paid taxes from all income from ticket sales, then in the case of the shows “Prince of the Circus” and “Odyssey” organized by Belyakov, taxation was carried out only on the amounts paid by the Russian State Circus to private entrepreneurs for organizing tours.
In general, finances in the institution are treated extremely freely, which the security forces have already paid attention to. So, in December last year, the media reported on the initiation of a criminal case on the fact of embezzlement of budgetary funds: the reason was the unreasonable accrual of bonuses to employees of the Russian State Circus by more than 900 thousand rubles.
Here it would be appropriate to recall that the previous supervisor institutions Vladimir Shemyakinwhose adviser since April 2019, Belyakov has been working, became figurant criminal case on abuse of power: he was charged with concluding a contract for the provision of fictitious legal services to an enterprise. In addition, the Meshchanskaya prosecutor’s office established: In the Russian State Circus, multi-million dollar contracts for the provision of advertising services were concluded with a single supplier, without competitive procedures.
True, Shemyakin escaped with a slight fright: in September last year, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow ruled solution on the termination of the criminal prosecution of the ex-general director and the appointment of a court fine in the amount of … 39 thousand rubles.
A state official with a “fake” diploma and … a criminal offense?
With the dismissal of Shemyakin, whose short leadership was accompanied by a number of high-profile scandals, including proceedingsrelated to his temporary disqualification, financial fraud in the Russian State Circus did not stop. Rather, they even entered a new stage, since Belyakov surpassed his predecessor in this respect. But in his “closet” there are other “skeletons”. What is worth the mere fact that a state official has a fake diploma about higher education, from which, in fact, his career began.
It’s about graduation. Krasnoyarsk Commercial Institutethat was used Belyakov during employment, first as the director of the circus in Nizhny Tagil, then as the director of the state zoo in Izhevsk and, finally, as the head of the state circus of Udmurtia. In 2009, he successfully “legalized” the actually missing higher education, after graduating for three years the Udmurt branch RANEPA.
But as you know, everything secret sooner or later becomes clear. So the story with the “fake” document, thanks to the media, has become not only the property of the general public, but also the subject of litigation. As a result, in May 2019, the Dorogomilovsky District Court of Moscow satisfied the demand of the prosecutor’s office and ruled solution:
The second diploma of higher education, with the qualification “Manager” in the specialty “State and municipal management”, was also declared invalid. Belyakov’s attempt appeal This decision on appeal proved inconclusive. It would seem that what happened should have put an end to his future career in government agencies, but no: today’s post he officially took in March last year. It is highly doubtful that the Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova is not aware of the scams of her subordinate.
However, online you can find publications, telling about other, no less interesting episodes from the life of the main Russian “circus performer”. For example, about how in 2011, being the director of the State Circus of Udmurtia, Belyakov became a defendant in a criminal case on the withdrawal 120 million rubles by signing dozens of fictitious contracts to organize circus performances with shell companies “Premiere” and “Planet”registered to his spouse Marina Kuzmina.
But this scam got away with Belyakov – it was suspended. Therefore, what is happening today within the walls of the Russian State Circus causes a feeling not of surprise, but rather of bewilderment: why is the Ministry of Culture silent? After all, the no less odious Vladimir Shemyakin, who miraculously escaped criminal liability, lost his post! Or is the case of “animal food” worth 1.5 million rubles a kind of warning bell to an official who revels in the feeling of his own impunity?