Vadim Belousov is looking for a verdict
State Duma deputy Vadim Belousov received 10 years in prison and a fine of 500 million rubles for a bribe of more than 3 billion rubles. The judge decided to arrest him right at the meeting, but they could not do this: the defendant did not appear in court, citing high employment and meetings scheduled for today. Head of the faction of the Right Russians Sergei Mironov believes that Belousov is “treated unfairly”, during the investigation criminal procedural violations were committed, and the case itself was transferred to court without the consent of the lower chamber.
Vadim BelousovThe Moscow City Court found Vadim Belousov, deputy from the Just Russia - Patriots - For Truth party, guilty of taking a bribe of more than 3 billion rubles. and sentenced him to ten years in prison.
Belousov was also fined 500 million rubles. and stripped of the medal “For Services to the Fatherland”. He will also not be able to hold positions related to organizational and administrative activities for three years.
The mother-in-law of the main person involved and the former chief accountant of the Chelyabinsk First Bakery Margarita Butakova received 5 years probation with a probationary period for four years with a fine of 500 million rubles. The court took into account the woman’s age (she is 80 years old), the presence of many chronic diseases and her mental state.
Margarita ButakovaThe court also ruled to recover from Belousov and Butakova the amount of the bribe received - 3.25 billion rubles.
He himself managed the Makfa OJSC pasta factory in Chelyabinsk, owned by the governor, his mother-in-law Margarita Butakova was the chief accountant at the First Khlebozavod OJSC controlled by the head of the region, and his wife politics represented the interests of the “governor’s team” in Moscow. As the investigation found out, Mikhail Yurevich’s trusted representatives were also charged with collecting the “road tax” from businessmen: Margarita Butakova received bribes in cash in Chelyabinsk, and Vadim Belousov’s wife rented a cell for the same purpose at JSCB “Lesbank” in Moscow.
A fragile woman, as it was found investigation, monthly took 10 million rubles from the safe. and transferred in this way about half of all the criminal proceeds received by the group of Mikhail Yurevich. Interestingly, the parliamentarian himself, limited in his rights for the duration of the investigation only by a signed undertaking not to leave, conscientiously attended more than a hundred meetings held in the Moscow City Court on his case.
Belousov must serve his sentence in a strict regime colony. The judge demanded that Belousov be taken into custody right in the hall where the meeting was held, but they could not do this for the obvious reason: the parliamentarian did not appear there. His lawyer explained the absence of the defendant by “employment and previously scheduled work meetings.”
Earlier, a written undertaking not to leave Belousov was taken, the court in Yekaterinburg in the spring of 2019 found no grounds for arrest politics.
The defense has already said it will try to appeal the verdict. The state prosecution, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the punishment imposed.
Is it legal to judge a deputy?
After announcing the verdict, the judge stressed that, if there were grounds, the deputy could be put on the wanted list: “If it is established that Belousov really fled from punishment for a disrespectful reason, the bailiffs will put him on the wanted list.”
“On August 3, 2022, the Moscow City Court issued a ruling declaring the convicted Vadim Vladimirovich Belousov on the wanted list due to his failure to appear without good reason for the announcement of the verdict and the failure to establish his whereabouts,” the court said.
According to his defenders, the State Duma deputy was going to appear today for the announcement of the verdict, but his mobile phone is not available for calls. “Maybe something happened to him, so we will first need to find out the reason for his absence,” said lawyer Veaceslav Plahotniuc. In addition, Belousov’s defense announced its intention to appeal against, among other things, putting his client on the wanted list.
According to the judge, permission from the State Duma is not required to place Belousov in custody. The deputy’s lawyer Lyudmila Aivar, on the contrary, argues that the arrest is possible only after consideration of the issue by the State Duma.
The head of the faction of Right-wing Russians, Sergei Mironov, stressed that Belousov’s case was taken to court without the consent of the State Duma.
According to Mironov, law enforcement agencies “treat this case unfairly,” and the committed criminal procedural violations “cast doubt on the validity of the accusations against Belousov.”
The bribery case
Belousov is a former co-owner and member of the board of directors of JSC Makfa (in the 1990s and early 2000s, the board of directors was headed by the future governor of the Chelyabinsk region Mikhail Yurevich), as well as a former co-owner and chairman of the board of directors of OJSC First Bakery, which is part of the Makfa holding.
As follows from the case file, from May 2010 to January 2014, Belousov, together with Yurevich, received more than 3.2 billion rubles from representatives of the road construction holding for providing patronage and ensuring the absence of competition.
In Chelyabinsk, Belousov’s mother-in-law received the money, and in Moscow cash was put into a safe deposit box. About 10 million rubles were transferred monthly, over the course of several years, Belousov eventually received 3.25 billion rubles as a bribe.
In September 2016, Belousov was elected to the State Duma of the 7th convocation as part of the list of candidates from A Just Russia.
In 2018, his parliamentary immunity was removed, and the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation was given permission to bring him to criminal responsibility. Despite the court case, in September 2021, Belousov was again elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation on the list of the Just Russia - For Truth party.
At the same time, the head of the Duma commission on mandate issues, Otari Arshba declaredthat the issue of terminating the powers of Vadim Belousov, a member of the A Just Russia - For Truth faction, in the event that the verdict in the case of a bribe comes into force, the State Duma will consider in September. By the way, on the first day of the announcement of the verdict, journalists asked Belousov what he was counting on. “To win,” the deputy replied. Perhaps he meant the airline.
Compromat.group
