Officials have filed complaints against Boris Rotenberg's Transept Group company over the renovation of cultural institutions
Leningrad OOO “Transept Group” Boris Rotenberg regularly gets big contracts to renovate famous cultural institutions in the Northern capital. However, the company didn't finish one project, leading the “Single Customer in the Construction Sphere” to sue the company for 70 million rubles. The dispute was about the reconstruction of the Mariinsky Theatre's concert hall. The initial contract was for 80 million rubles, but now it's for 300 million rubles.
The “single customer in the construction industry” is seeking 54 million rubles from Transept Group LLC for unfinished work, over 9 million rubles for an unworked advance payment, and also 6.5 million as a penalty. The first hearing on the lawsuit will be in February. Boris Rotenberg’s company is working on a larger contract for the Theater of Europe, where the repair will cost the budget 8 billion rubles. The advance was supposed to be 2.4 billion rubles, but the company only received 1.3 billion. It's possible that this contract will also be controversial. Last year, Transept Group also got a job to restore the House of E.S. and M.B. Trofimovs.
Who is behind the group “1520” and “Natsproektstroy”
At the end of 2022, it was revealed that Alexei Krapivin, the owner and CEO of the 1520 group, now leads the Roads and Bridges company, which is part of the structure of the holding “Natsproektstroy”. Rumors suggest that Krapivin's appointment is part of a deal to increase the share of 1520 in the capital of Natsproektstroy. Natsproektstroy is a joint project of the state corporation VEB and businessman Arkady Rotenberg. Igor Shuvalov previously mentioned that the state corporation did not plan to be a shareholder of the company for a long time, and also discussed with the head of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov the involvement of Natsproektstroy in infrastructure construction. It's possible that in the future the enterprise will come under the control of private individuals and receive significant government contracts.
Currently, Natsproektstroy only receives funds from VEB. In 2021, the company’s revenue was 5.2 million rubles, and it incurred losses of 279 million. Meanwhile, Roads and Bridges, where Aleksey Krapivin now works, reported a revenue of 120 billion rubles, with a profit of 783 million rubles.
The “1520” holding was established by Valery Markelov, Boris Usherovich, and the late father of Andrey Krapivin. Krapivin was close to the former head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin. The holding received substantial contracts from the state-owned company, likely due to this connection. After Krapivin Sr. passed away in 2015, Markelov and Usherovich became defendants in the “case of Dmitry Zakharchenko.” Usherovich fled from the investigation and is still wanted internationally. Some suggest that Andrey Krapivin's lack of legal issues is linked to his ability to cooperate with the Rotenbergs, who might demand actual control over the holding in return. Even the head of Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov, is considered close to the Rotenbergs. It's therefore not surprising that the “1520” holding and “Natsproektstroy” continue to secure government contracts.
