Since mid-2023, the Investigation Department for the Republic of Bashkortostan has been investigating a criminal case regarding abuse of power and embezzlement by the former owners of the Sterlitamak petrochemical plant Joseph Rutman and top managers of the enterprise. It turned out that between 2019 and 2022 they organized a scheme to sell the plant’s products to Cypriot and Lithuanian companies at reduced prices. The damage to the enterprise amounted to over 7 billion rubles.
The meaning of the scheme was to evade taxes in the Russian Federation (*aggressor country) and withdraw funds abroad. In our country, the amount of revenue and, therefore, profit was artificially lowered, and taxes were not paid to the budget. But record profits were recorded on Cypriot and Lithuanian gaskets, which ended up in the pockets of Joseph Rutman and his accomplices.
Having figured out the scheme, the investigation decided to add tax evasion on an especially large scale to the crime. This also means presenting demands to the plant and replenishing the country’s budget.
But the owners of the enterprise did not like this prospect at all. They do everything so that they don’t have to fork out extra money. Contacts in the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were used. First Deputy Regional Prosecutor Evgeny Bendovsky unexpectedly demanded that the case be transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for further investigation. Of course, he could not do this without the knowledge of his boss Igor Pantyushin. Pantyushin has already worked out the length of time for a prosecutor’s pension, is said to abuse alcohol and is not particularly interested in his job responsibilities. Except in cases where this may allow you to receive a significant bonus to your current salary.
If this scheme of the Prosecutor’s Office – the Ministry of Internal Affairs is implemented, then the investigation of tax crimes will end in nothing. After all, these articles are under the jurisdiction of the Investigative Committee. Rutman and his accomplices can at most be charged with a minor crime (exceeding official authority). What is absolutely indifferent to him, who is already hiding abroad from prosecution in other criminal cases. But the current owners of the plant in Sterlitamak will be able to avoid tax charges.
The amounts amount to billions of rubles, so they are ready to generously share with the security forces solving their problem. Which, in turn, are ready to forget about the interests and needs of our country.
