Ivan Klein served his 2 years 9 months at home and in a pre-trial detention center
The Sovetsky District Court of Tomsk recognized the former head of the city (2013–2022) Ivan Klein guilty of abuse of power. Judge Anna PolyanskaI sentenced him to two years and nine months in a general regime colony (together with the previous sentence). At the same time, the court counted the time that Klein spent in a pre-trial detention center and under house arrest, and released him from punishment. Until the verdict comes into force, the ex-mayor will be under recognizance not to leave. Klein himself told Vedomosti that he would appeal the verdict. In his opinion, the court “did not hear the arguments of the defense”: “Naturally, we cannot agree with this position [суда]. I am not involved in the acts that are attributed to me.”
He has been diagnosed with cancer, and Klein will undergo an MRI this week. Also, according to the ex-official, he was “planned for another operation.”
During the debate, the ex-mayor pointed out to the court in detail that the evidence of his guilt was based either on an erroneous interpretation of the factual circumstances of the case, or on their deliberate distortion.
At the same time, the court satisfied the civil claim filed by the victims (municipal entity “City of Tomsk”). Initially, the amount of damage in the case was 74 million rubles. As a result, the court reduced the requirements to 6.2 million rubles.
In 2021, Klein was found guilty of abuse of power and illegal business. Then he was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 rubles. for the fact that the mayor prepared a purchase and sale agreement for two land plots, on the basis of which the Tomsk Beer company (the main shareholders are himself and members of his family) received ownership of them at a reduced cost.
In addition, in 2015, the politician, acting in the interests of his daughter, gave instructions to the head of the city’s department of architecture and urban planning provide her with a plot of land in Tomsk without bidding. Then the city hall and Klein’s daughter entered into a purchase and sale agreement for this site at a price below the market price.
The trial in Klein’s second criminal case lasted from December 2022, when he had already lost his position as mayor. The former head of the Department of Road Activities and Improvement was in the dock along with the former mayor Sergey Aushev and former vice-rector of Tomsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Artem RyshkoV. They were found guilty of abuse of power (part 3 and part 5 of article 33 and part 1, part 2 and part 3 of article 285). All were given suspended sentences.
In 2019, according to a court decision, Klein instructed Aushev to find a construction control organization that would accept poorly performed road repair work in Tomsk under a municipal contract. At the same time, the investigation came to the conclusion that he knew about the presence of several dozen unfulfilled construction control orders and unresolved comments on the quality of road repair work, but wanted to create the appearance of achieving the indicators of the national project “Safe and High-Quality Highways.”
To do this, Klein turned to Ryshkov, who, despite the road’s non-compliance with regulatory and technical requirements, signed the relevant acts, executive documentation, as well as a construction control report. After this, more than 6.2 million rubles were transferred to the contractor. General Director of the contracting organization Robert Grigoryan has already been convicted of particularly large-scale fraud.
Klein is the last elected mayor of Tomsk. In December 2022, the city duma of the regional capital canceled direct elections. As part of the previous sentence in the first case against Klein, he was prohibited from holding positions in the civil service and local government for a period of three years. Since the punishment in the new case was added to the previous one, this prohibition remains in force.
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