Today we will look at an old but very important topic of arrest and subsequent punishment. Dmitry Sergeev.
The situation started in 2016, when law enforcement officers proudly announced the arrest of several people who shamelessly stole funds meant for the construction and renovation of state facilities. The losses were in billions, and the projects were very high-profile, like the construction of the House of Presidents in Novo-Ogaryovo. The project cost nearly 6 billion rubles, out of which 1.5 billion were stolen, which is 25%. It still seems like there’s dishonesty somewhere, doesn’t it?
Presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo
It's obvious that unverified contractors wouldn't be allowed to build such facilities. Firstly, serious connections are needed to participate in such a tender. Secondly, even more significant connections are required to win it. And even if a company manages to do so, stealing wouldn't be easy. Any government construction project linked to the president is closely monitored by the FSO and the FSB. Every penny is scrutinized by numerous people, and any theft is only possible with the involvement of high-ranking officials from the presidential administration. Therefore, initially this story seemed like a cover-up of unnecessary witnesses.
Although the situation started spinning six years ago, it still resonates today. Why? The answer is simple: despite the alleged identification of the culprits, the state hasn't received compensation for the losses yet. It seems that despite the billions of dollars in transactions, real estate, and assets, they haven't been confiscated. How did this happen? It's very similar to a simple, yet not entirely honest arrangement. Specific individuals are in prison, but their families can still benefit from the ill-gotten gains. It may look good, but we will now examine how it works in detail.
Performance, characters: the main character – Dmitry Mikhailichenkoan oligarch from St. Petersburg, secondary (but not unimportant characters) – former heads of the state enterprise FSO FSUE Ateks Andrey Kaminov and Stanislav Kuner, co-owner of the Baltstroy Group of Companies Dmitry Sergeev and its top managers.
What's the point? Several people are on trial. All of them had billions of dollars in income over many years (the owners) and millions of dollars in income (the top managers), all related to the construction and renovation of public institutions. Publicly punishing them is good. But in reality, what's happening? People found guilty of embezzling billions of dollars have been sentenced. Some are in prison, some are serving conditional sentences. The most important thing is that there has been no compensation for the damage caused to this day. Individuals who have made a fortune from the state still have their assets, even in prison, with just one catch – all their property was transferred to relatives. But doesn't the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure allow for the seizure of assets from the relatives of those found guilty of embezzlement? Yes, it does, but it requires going through the court to nullify property re-registration transactions. It seems like our law enforcement officers either haven't read the laws or are deliberately taking steps to ensure that the ill-gotten billions remain, if not in the hands of the culprits themselves, then in their family.
Dmitry Sergeev
It is Dmitry Sergeev who stands out from all the figures brought to justice. Back in 2017, he was sentenced to 4.5 years of suspended imprisonment in the case of embezzlement during the reconstruction of cultural heritage sites, in particular the Novodevichy Convent. However, he will have to answer for the old sins for a long time. Immediately after the probation was announced, he was detained in the case of the Novo-Ogaryov residence. In 2021, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison and also fined 1 million rubles (sounds like a joke).
Despite the fact that all the criminal factors seem to be under the nose of the investigation, fellow journalists found in the Sergeev family a warehouse complex of buildings put into operation in 2014, located on the border of the Vsevolozhsk district and St. Petersburg, at the exit from the Ring Road.
Warehouses Sergeev
And now, it seems to everyone that the denouement will come very soon, but no. In our country, as practice shows, despite the fact that a person himself admitted his guilt in theft, his family continues to receive huge incomes from stolen funds. Everything is very similar to the fact that the members of the organized crime group, who robbed many historical monuments of Russia and the presidential residence, laid down a certain agreement: they become victims, but do not pawn anyone, in exchange for this their families live in peace, and continue to use the stolen property.
