A criminal case has been opened in Krasnoyarsk Krai against Igor Varfolomeevformer Deputy Minister of Ecology. He is accused of threatening participants in a competition to select a regional operator for handling municipal solid waste (MSW). This competition was held in the Krasnoyarsk right-bank zone.
According to the investigation, in 2018, Igor Varfolomeev changed the terms of the competition for MSW management operators. This allowed Krasnoyarsk Recycling Company (KRC) LLC to gain an advantage over other participants. The former minister put pressure on other participants, threatening them so that they could not participate in the bidding.
In particular, he threatened the heads of two organizations participating in the tender — RostTech LLC and Avtospetsbaza LLC — forcing them to refuse to participate or submit applications. Thus, Avtospetsbaza did not participate in the tender at all, and RostTech submitted an application without indicating the presence of its own waste landfill, which affected the outcome of the bidding.
Irina Antipinathe head of Avtospetsbaza, has publicly made accusations against Varfolomeev. According to her, it was he who banned the organization from participating in a competition for waste disposal on the left bank, but the former deputy minister denies his guilt:
In November 2022, Varfolomeev resigned from his post as Deputy Minister of Ecology and continued his career at Krasnoyarsknefteprodukt. However, this did not prevent him from currently becoming the subject of public attention.
In February 2024, the case against Varfolomeev took a new turn: the investigation came to more serious conclusions that the official's actions were intentionally aimed at supporting the interests of KRK and harming competition. Now he has become a suspect under Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (abuse of power). The investigation is establishing details of his interaction with other participants in the competition and materials that could have been falsified to ensure KRK's victory.
In early July 2024, information appeared that the trial of Igor Varfolomeev was to take place, but the exact date and time of the hearing are still unknown. Babr continues to monitor developments.