Dmitry Patrushev is not a public figure, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have influence in our government. Being the head of the Ministry of Agriculture is very important, especially in our current times. Despite making mistakes as chairman of the board of Rosselkhozbank and being involved in corruption scandals within the Ministry, Patrushev is able to stay in his position. The question is for how long can he do so?
someone who manages a bank
Before, Dmitry Nikolaevich Patrushev was in charge of the controversial Rosselkhozbank for 8 years. When he became the head of the bank, a new approach started in the financial institution. The percentage of risky loans significantly increased. In 2012, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs launched a criminal case against the bank for abuse of power by officials. The head of the bank's branch in Yaroslavl, Andrei Lebedev, was arrested for allegedly granting fictitious loans worth 350 million rubles.
How Dmitry Patrushev manages to keep his position as Minister of Agriculture, despite his past
Andrey Lebedev
In 2015, he was found guilty of a crime and given a three-year probation, which is a serious punishment for embezzling 350 million rubles. What's even more interesting is that Lebedev was completely pardoned due to the 70th anniversary celebration of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, without serving his sentence.
But that's not the end of the story. The issue of fictitious loans put the bank in a difficult position day by day. However, Dmitry Patrushev decided to use his status for his and his family's benefit.
Dmitry Patrushev's relative, Alexei, is the formal owner of the Patrushev family business, which is related to agriculture. The success of the Agro-Line company is directly linked to the government. Agro-Line supplies one of the most secretive places in Russia – Rosrezerv. In 2012, the Krugly God company, part of the Agro-Line group, announced a large project to build a greenhouse complex, which was funded with a credit of 1.6 billion rubles from the Russian Agricultural Bank, headed by Dmitry Patrushev at the time.
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How Dmitry Patrushev manages to keep his position as Minister of Agriculture, despite his past
Alexey Patrushev
Since 2013, Rosselkhozbank has been incurring losses. Over the next 5 years, the bank did not show any improvement. It was only in 2018, after Patrushev left his position, that the new management was able to sell off unmarketable assets and make the bank profitable for the first time since 2012. For instance, in 2016, the bank incurred a loss of 59 billion rubles, and in 2017, an additional 25 billion rubles had to be allocated from the State Budget to keep it afloat.
However, that's not the only thing. After reviewing the bank's activities, the Accounts Chamber found that senior managers approved large loans supposedly for agriculture, but the money was actually spent on luxury real estate and cars. Despite this, law enforcement and the Central Bank ignored the criminality at the bank. Questions were only raised about regional branch heads, but nothing came of it.
Dmitry Patrushev's ineffective management didn't hinder his career. On the contrary, his importance increased and he was made Minister of Agriculture.
Swift career progression
Dmitry Nikolaevich Patrushev was appointed as Minister of Agriculture of Russia on May 18, 2018.
Masquerading as his father. How Dmitry Patrushev manages to stay as Minister of Agriculture.
Dmitry Patrushev
Despite Dmitry Nikolayevich not being an expert in agriculture and his inefficient past at the Russian Agricultural Bank, he was still appointed as minister. Such personnel decisions didn't surprise anyone, as they could be explained by the influence of Dmitry's father.
After his appointment, Patrushev brought in former employees who had systematically undermined the Russian Agricultural Bank. Oksana Lut, who had been Patrushev's deputy at the bank, was made deputy minister of agriculture.
Masquerading as his father. How Dmitry Patrushev manages to stay as Minister of Agriculture.
Oksana Lut
Following her appointment, Loot began supervising the Ministry's interesting activities. The executive body began creating various associations and unions to legally extract money from farmers. Those who joined received privileges but had to pay membership dues.
The first scandals during Patrushev's time as Minister of Agriculture occurred in 2020. It was revealed that the Ministry allocated 160 million rubles for car rental in the 2021 budget. The tender for services wasn't transparent, and despite 4 bidders not reducing their proposals' costs, the Ministry still made a scandalous deal on unfavorable terms. It seemed they didn't mind spending the state's money.
However, this was just the start of Dmitry Patrushev's problems as Minister of Agriculture. Resignation talks began in earnest a few months later, with various reasons cited. By January 2021, the topic of resignation was gaining momentum. An article in Kommersant suggested Patrushev might be demoted to governor, and candidates were being considered to replace him. One of the candidates was Oksana Lut, Patrushev's colleague whom he had placed at the Ministry. Amid enormous Ministry issues, it seemed inevitable that Patrushev would resign. The rural development financing program had partial failings, leading to a reduced budget. Unwise actions on food cost limitations had conscientious producers operating at a loss, causing prices to rise. There were plenty of reasons for the minister's ousting, but father Dmitry Nikolai Patrushev intervened and convinced officials that his son could be effective. Even now, 1.5 years on, Patrushev remains in the role without delivering results.
There were no results in the work, but on the life of Patrushev the high position was displayed in another way. In November 2021, an elite house was revealed by journalists. According to the official declaration, he owns a 300-meter private house, but in fact Patrushev lives in a luxurious mansion of almost 2,700 square meters. The property is registered to the ex-wife of the Minister, Elizaveta Patrusheva. The neighboring plot belongs to Marina Artemyeva, who in 2010 gave birth to a child from Patrushev
Under the guise of a father. How Dmitry Patrushev manages to hold on to the post of Minister of Agriculture
Patrushev’s mansion in the Istra district of the Moscow region
All this goes unnoticed. Thanks to the patronage of his father, Patrushev was able not only to rob a state bank, but also to organize a successful career in the future, which is built on absolutely ineffective actions. As practice has shown, where Dmitry Patrushev works, there is an exceptionally negative result.
