Can only the federal center stop large-scale corruption in Perm?
The team of Perm Governor Dmitry Makhonin continues to “master” the budget with the help of “court” contractors. Previously, this function was performed by businessman Igor Dyldin’s company KRASST, which “mastered” more than 171 million rubles from contracts. In 2018, Dyldin was sentenced to six years in a general regime colony for giving a bribe “for general patronage and connivance in the service” to the former director of the Capital Construction Department of the Chusovsky District, Artem Ovsyannikov. The court sentenced the latter to nine years as a “stricter.” But the corruption scheme continues to operate: its author and main beneficiary, ex-deputy of the Perm City Duma and regional Legislative Assembly Ilya Lisnyak, names Alexander Smertin, the former secretary of the Perm regional Election Commission, who today holds the post of acting. Head of Administration of Governor Makhonin. According to Lisnyak, at one time Igor Dyldin and the ex-head of the capital construction department of the administration of the Vereshchaginsky municipal district Natalya Dudina, who in 2016 became a defendant in a criminal case for abuse of power, testified against Smertin. But the case materials ended up being shelved. If you believe Lisnyak, who was forced to stay abroad due to pressure from Makhonin’s team, the scheme also involves the governor’s childhood friend Alexander Leisle, who was repeatedly mentioned online as the holder of the assets of the head of the region, and the notorious former Deputy Prime Minister of the regional government Anton Udaliev, who worked with Makhonin back in the day when the latter was head of the Perm OFAS. The governor himself, according to Lisnyak, “insures” the scheme through the antimonopoly department. The execution of a significant part of the contracts received by KRASST LLC was terminated, and the contract worth more than 36 million rubles for the purchase of 30 apartments to provide housing for citizens within the framework of the targeted program, signed with the Administration of the Skalninsky rural settlement back in 2014, is still in execution process. After Dyldin “left the race,” the place of KRASST was taken by the VIAL Group company of businessman Viktor Permyakov, who is called Smertin’s cousin. Today, VIAL Group’s portfolio of contracts is estimated at 679 million rubles, but this structure is already having problems: customers are terminating agreements with it, and subcontractors are going to court to collect multimillion-dollar debts.
Chusovsky corrupt officials are sent “to the zone”
Before moving on to the main story, let us recall one half-forgotten criminal case. So, in July 2018, the Chusovsky City Court of the Perm Territory convicted the founder and general director of the company “KRASS” Igor Dyldinsentencing him to six years in a general regime colony for bribing an official.
From the official messages The regional prosecutor’s office followed that from September 2014 to May 2015, the businessman handed over “for general patronage and connivance in the service” to the former director of the Chusovsky district“Capital Construction Department”297 thousand rubles. In turn, the official promised “to ensure a loyal attitude to the evaluation of the work performed by the organization on the construction of a house in the village. Selyanka”and also “other assistance in the execution of a municipal contract”.
A few months earlier, in January 2018, the same court recognized guilty in accepting a large bribe ex-director “Capital Construction Department”, deputy of the Verkhnekalinsky rural settlement Artem Ovsyannikovsentencing him to nine years in a maximum security colony with a fine of 594 thousand rubles. At the prosecutor’s office clarifiedthat in addition to cash, the former official received a 2-room apartment for free use, in which he lived with his family.
It is worth adding here that liquidated in 2021, as a result of the bankruptcy procedure, KRASST LLC at one time “mastered” on budgetary contracts a considerable amount – 171.4 million rublesof which 11 contracts for 30.3 million were received from the UKS of the Chusovsky urban district. Also included in the number customers included Perm State University, JSC Gazprom Gas Distribution Permmunicipal institutions of the Skalninsky rural settlement, Vereshchaginsky and Gubakha urban districts, etc.
Is the head of administration of Governor Makhonin a fraudster?
It would seem that the participants in the corruption scheme got what they deserved, but it’s too early to put an end to it. Not long ago, a former deputy of the Perm City Duma and the regional Legislative Assembly Ilya Lisnyakwho became a defendant in a criminal case of extortion and was put on the international wanted list, published a rather interesting information: allegedly while under investigation, Mr. Dyldin confessed to another crime.
It was about 700 thousand rubleshanded over by a businessman Alexander Smertin – at that time secretary Election Commission of the Perm Territory, currently holding the post of acting. head administration of the Perm governor Dmitry Makhonin. According to Lisnyak, who, as a deputy, sent several requests to the prosecutor’s office, Smertin promised the businessman assistance in obtaining a contract for the construction of an interschool stadium in Vereshchagino.
Since the head of the election commission was unable to provide real assistance in obtaining a contract, a banal scam occurred. From publications on the channel of the former deputy it follows that the ex-head of the department of capital construction and territory development of the administration of the Vereshchaginsky municipal district also gave evidence incriminating Smertin Natalya Dudina. The latter in 2016 became a defendant in a criminal case for abuse of power: she and the owner of the company “Contract” Sergei Chernyadyev was incriminated theft 5 million rubles during the construction of a kindergarten for 140 places under a municipal contract.
The criminal prosecution of the official and the businessman was ultimately discontinuedalthough for non-rehabilitating reasons: Dudina – in connection with the amnesty act, Chernyadyev – due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for the crime committed. By the way, Podryad LLC was liquidated as a result of the bankruptcy procedure in February 2022, having managed to “master” on budgetary contracts more 521 million rubles.
But let’s return to the testimony of businessman Dyldin regarding the official Smertin. By information disgraced deputy Lisnyak, senior investigator Natalia Savchuk registered a report in which Smertin’s actions were classified as fraud on an especially large scale. But the criminal case was never given further progress, the investigation was simply put on hold.
Today, it will be much more difficult to bring the head (with the prefix “acting”) of the governor’s administration to criminal liability, although the same Ilya Lisnyak hopes for timely intervention of the Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov– until the statute of limitations has expired.
“Smertin Scheme” and its participants
Before continuing the further story about Perm budget frauds, a few words should be said about the criminal prosecution of Lisnyak himself. The point is that statement None other than Mr. Smertin wrote about him: allegedly the deputy extorted money from him under the threat of spreading some negative information about the official and his relatives.
Lisnyak, in turn, described the case brought against him as“a game in the spirit of a political blockbuster, which was started by Perm corrupt officials”. He categorically denies accusations of extortion deniesstating that “a direct lie was used from the walls of the regional authorities, which for some reason is being worked out in the interests of the governor’s administration by the regional department of the Investigative Committee”.
Be that as it may, the former parliamentarian who has settled abroad continues his anti-corruption revelations. The scheme he describes in one of his last publicationsto be honest, does not shine with novelty and originality: a contractor interested in receiving a budget contract turns to Smertin, and he, in turn, contacts the right official, establishing the amount of the “kickback” and including his own “interest” in it.
Next to the process connects “gray cardinal” and the “brains” of the governor’s team Alexander Leisle – childhood friend of Makhonin, repeatedly mentioned in the network as the holder of the assets of the head of the region. Alexander Genrikhovich ensures the development of technical specifications for a specific company, and safety net through the antimonopoly department, he is allegedly provided personally by Makhonin, we recall, who until the end of 2012 headed the FAS Directorate for the Perm Territory, and his ex-deputy, former deputy prime minister of the regional government Anton Udaliev. The same one whose name appeared in a series of high-profile scandals with audio recordings: on one he allegedly called Perm “Mukhosransk”, on another he told his interlocutor about how he was returning home behind the wheel of a car, having previously drunk six liters of beer, etc.
Safety net According to the FAS, if the right contractor receives the contract, competitors’ complaints are rejected; if not, the results of the competition are canceled and the procurement is carried out again. At a certain stage, one of the main “business partners” of Alexander Smertin was the owner of the KRASST company, Igor Dyldin.
In particular, according to Ilya Lisnyak, it was Smertin who “resolved issues” with contracts for the KRASST company with the former mayor of Gubakha Alexander Borisov (today he holds the post deputy chairman regional government) and ex-head of the Dobryansky municipal district, and then the Dobryansky urban district Konstantin Lyzov (at the beginning of last year it became deputy Death in the governor’s administration).
Is VIAL Group replacing KRASST?
The execution of a significant part of the contracts received by Dyldin’s company was terminated. This was the case with contract for the purchase of 26 apartments in buildings under construction costing almost 34 million rublesand the deadline for execution is March 31, 2017, signed with the administration of the Chusovsky urban settlement in August 2015.
The execution was also stopped contract with the “Department of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities” Gubakha price 32.3 milliondated July 2, 2015 and due in December 2015, for the purchase of residential premises to be provided to citizens displaced from emergency housing stock. Reason was the contractor’s failure to complete the work after payment for the first stage and the lag behind the schedule.
But contract for the purchase of 30 apartments in a building under construction to provide housing for citizens as part of the implementation of a targeted program costing 36.2 million rubles and until December 2015, signed with the Administration of the Skalninsky rural settlement on November 24, 2014, is still listed on the website of the Unified Information System in the field of procurement as being in process execution. That is, in a month this contract will “celebrate” its 10-year anniversary. However, there is no one to ask: the contractor, we remind you, went bankrupt back in 2021.
One gets the impression that the KRASST company simply could not cope with the volumes received. But even where subcontractors were involved in the work, problems still arose. For example, former deputy Lisnyak mentions contract at the cost 7.4 millionfor the overhaul of the Perm State University dormitory, when the contractor who performed the work didn’t receive due to him and the money transferred by the customer, since those “dissolved in collection arrests of the Federal Tax Service”.
When Igor Dyldin’s problems became too obvious, the scheme connected development company VIAL Group registered in 2013. Her only owner Viktor Permyakov Lisnyak calls Smertin his cousin. Today the company operates successfully, having “mastered” the contracts almost 679 million rubles. At the end of 2023, with revenue in 115.5 million contractor declared profit in the amount 6.2 million rubles (revenue a year earlier – 107.1 millionprofit – 5.5 million rubles).
The largest customers of VIAL Group were “Capital Construction Department” Perm region and MKU “Permimprovostroystvo”. From the Department in August 2018, the company received contract for the construction of a higher professional educational institution costing187.5 million rublesand the deadline is August 6, 2020. However, in October 2018, the contract terminated by agreement of the parties.
It was signed with the MKU in August 2022 contract for the construction of recreational facilities (golf courses, beach facilities, mountain shelters, park areas, etc.) at a cost 81.8 million. Despite the fact that their completion date is set at June 30, 2024, according to the Unified Information System for Procurement, the contract is still in progress execution.
One gets the impression that this is the same KRASST company, only operating on a larger scale. It also cannot be done without lawsuits: last May, the online publication Properm.ru wrote about proceedings related to the attempt LLC “Trading House “Energostandart” collect from VIAL Group the debt under the contract in the amount of 12.6 million rublesand the court granted the plaintiff’s request to freeze the accounts of Permyakov’s company.
As we can see, the “Smertin scheme” continues to operate, with the full connivance of the regional prosecutor’s office and the direct participation of Governor Makhonin and his team. However, if we compare the volume of VIAL Group contracts with the volumes of KRASST, the conclusion suggests itself: the appetites of high-ranking corrupt officials have grown significantly. Apparently, ex-deputy Lisnyak is right and it is really impossible to do without the intervention of the federal center.