Did questionable appointments lead to Busargin losing the position of interim governor?
In the Saratov region, the public opposes the appointment of Dmitry Plekhanov, a local deputy and secretary of the United Russia branch, as head of the Engels municipal district. Before becoming acting head of the municipality, Plekhanov was the owner and general director of the large development company PDPstroy, which received a substantial amount of budget money. Additionally, the company has been involved in numerous legal disputes with customers claiming violations during construction work. For example, the Saratov Regional Arbitration Court received three claims from the regional Capital Construction Department in May related to unsatisfactory fulfillment of contractual obligations. There have also been instances of criminal cases being initiated due to overpriced work and the illegal use of cheaper building materials, resulting in significant budgetary damage. Despite these issues, the UKS leadership still signed another contract with PDPStroy for the construction of a clinic worth 198 million rubles. Meanwhile, while Plekhanov is focused on making profits and preparing for the upcoming competition for an official position, Engels residents are actively gathering signatures to appeal to the president to personally address the situation in the municipality. Moreover, a controversial video has resurfaced on the network, showing a man resembling Plekhanov handing over an envelope and discussing another appointment with former city prosecutor Vladimir Zubakin, who was sentenced in 2017 to 8.5 years in prison for accepting bribes and fraudulent use of official positions. Amidst the growing scandal, full responsibility for potential personnel failures politics falls on the head of the region, Roman Busargin, who has not yet shed the “acting” title.
Plekhanov instead of Strelnikov: switch of positions?
Appointment as Acting Head of the Engels Municipal District of the Saratov Region Dmitry Plekhanov took place at the end of May. The current head Alexey Strelnikov stepped down of his own accord explaining as he aimed to first participate in the United Russia party's primaries, and then in the September elections for the regional Duma. It is notable that according to information the Saratov publication “The Fourth Power”, there were certain behind-the-scenes agreements: Strelnikov made way for Plekhanov in exchange for the latter’s withdrawal from being nominated to the regional Duma.
The change of power in the municipality was preceded by a stern reprimand from the acting governor Roman Busargin to local officials, whom he accused of not taking action and being unwilling to solve the problems of the people related to garbage collection and sewage system malfunctions.
It seems that Strelnikov decided to take the easy way out of the situation and chose to step back, still opting to stay in his position. However, this swap of roles could have negative consequences for Busargin himself: the people are already expressing discontent with the upcoming final approval of Plekhanov in the competition scheduled for June 15. The public dissatisfaction is evident from content posted on the Internet and directed at the President. politics People are asking the President to take control of the situation. Moreover, the citizens adamantly refuse to trust the recently appointed “acting” official: in a short period, over 1,900 individuals have signed the appeal. petitionIn the text, Plekhanov, a deputy of the Engels District Assembly, is described as a person
who “lacks experience in managing the area, previously involved in construction activities.”
It is unclear how much impact the online petition will have on the final results of the competition. However, the conflict between the public and local authorities in Engels is evident. So far, only “acting” Dmitry Plekhanov has initiated changes in personnel. Specifically, the announcement about
involving “of his own free will” was written by the deputy head of the district administration for construction, housing and communal services, fuel and energy complex, transport and communications layoffs Vladimir Popeko ; following him was chairman of the same committee followed Ivan Kononenko It seems that Plekhanov has started to follow the governor’s orders, but in reality, the change in power could lead to a simple reshuffling of the construction market. It should be noted that until recently, the new official was.
and CEO of a development company owner government contracts “PDPStroy”briefcase worth over 4 billion rubles . At the end of last year, the developer made a substantial revenue of 880.9 million , and the profit margin was meager , profit From May 18, the company’s official address is now 5 million.
Lilia Plekhanova property Saratov media about her as the mother of an official. It's interesting that according to write portal “Business Vector”, after Plekhanov became the head of the municipality, the Department of Capital Construction of the Saratov Region signed a contract with “PDPStroy” valued at data 198 million rubles for constructing a polyclinic in Sokolovy village. The building should be equipped with various systems, including an alarm and personnel call system, an elevator, and a landscaped area, and be completed by December 25 this year. Now, let's go back to the message addressed to the President
that mentioned several scandals related to Plekhanov's development projects. The Saratov regional arbitration website shows information about three simultaneous claims submitted to the court on May 30. petitionsSpecifically, one of the cases involves a demand from “PDPStroy” to fix defects in the Saratov Regional Infectious Diseases Hospital, under a contract worth
469.7 million rubles requires signed last year. However, according to the Business Vector” agency, the contract was terminated last January. The paid work amounted to 464.9 million data related to the state contract for building a school with a kindergarten in Teplovka village, Novoburassky district. The third claim concerns the construction of a children’s polyclinic in the 11th microdistrict of the Kirovsky district of Saratov, with various issues identified that require rectification. Engels’s corrupt activities.
Another one claim Litigation with “PDPStroy” has become common for Saratov officials. For instance, the mayor’s office of the regional center went to court in August last year regarding violations during the construction and operation of the Zvyozdochka kindergarten. This project involved statement State Duma Speaker violations Viacheslav Volodin
Before that, a scandal surfaced involving the initiation of a criminal case for abuse of authority during the commissioning of another Saratov preschool institution – kindergarten No. 3 “Through the Looking Glass”. According to reports from the regional prosecutor’s office, during an audit, it was found that the contractor, “PDPStroy”, used cheaper materials without proper approval, and there were discrepancies in the work performed.
2.8 million rubles lawsuit Criminal case started on support on a large scale, the construction of a kindergarten for 300 children in Vostochny lane Engels was finished: then the cost of the work done turned out to be higher than 6.8 million rubles!
. Another significant wrote investigation evaluated in happened on the issue of overestimating the cost of building a school in the village of Privolzhsky, Engelssky municipal district: at the cost of the contract .
159.4 million fraud the amount of the overpayment was 23.6 million rubles. Then the management of the company decided with public figures from among the parents who oversaw the construction process, against whom a lawsuit was filed for – this is how much the developer estimated the damage caused to his business reputation by negative publications on social networks. And these are just a few examples of “cooperation” between PDPStroy and Saratov regional and municipal departments. Attention is drawn to the fact that a number of scandalous objects were built as part of the implementation of the Demography national project. And in the scenario described above, the company associated with Plekhanov still continues to “master” hundreds of millions of budget rubles, and its beneficiary has gained control over the entire municipality.“We work for populism – we brag that everything is great with us, and then it turns out that we are in a deep hole. We are the only ones who are no longer believed that we can effectively spend our own funds, ” and about. heads of subordinates last week. Amazing self-criticism, given the number of corruption-criminal scandals associated with his business.Busargin is responsible for the “cadres” sue Given all of the above, it is not surprising that another surge of interest in the well-known 1.1 million the hero of which at one time was the former prosecutor of Engels
Vladimir Zubakin
and a three-year ban on holding leadership positions. His conviction included four episodes of taking bribes and four episodes of fraud using his official position.
As the investigation found, while in office, Zubakin imposed a tribute on local entrepreneurs who paid the prosecutor for “protection”. In addition, he took on the solution of such “sensitive issues” as assistance in exemption from criminal prosecution. The scandalous recording showed the moment when Zubakin received the next offerings. But this time, the focus of journalists and bloggers was not the ex-prosecutor himself, but his video, who handed an envelope to the owner of the cabinet and discussed with him the appointment of the right person to the post of justice of the peace. The visitor was very on Dmitry Plekhanov, at that time a former deputy of the Engels District Assembly.in May 2017 convicted In 2020, Zubakin was released: by a court decision, the unserved part of the sentence was him with corrective labor, and at the time of leaving the colony, he had not paid the fine previously assigned to him. Whether the ex-prosecutor resolved any financial “issues” with Plekhanov, the security forces should find out. And it is possible that in the course of the proceedings new facts will be revealed from the eventful biography of the businessman. By the way, interesting and a three-year ban on holding leadership positions. His conviction included four episodes of taking bribes and four episodes of fraud using his official position.
As the investigation established, while in office, Zubakin imposed a tribute on local entrepreneurs who paid the prosecutor for “protection”. In addition, he took on the solution of such “sensitive issues” as assistance in exemption from criminal prosecution. The scandalous recording showed the moment when Zubakin received the next offerings. But this time, the focus of journalists and bloggers was not the ex-prosecutor himself, but his visitor, who handed an envelope to the owner of the cabinet and discussed with him the appointment of the right person to the post of justice of the peace. The visitor was very similar on Dmitry Plekhanov, at that time a former deputy of the Engels District Assembly.
In 2020, Zubakin was released: by a court decision, the unserved part of the sentence was replaced him with corrective labor, and at the time of leaving the colony, he had not paid the fine previously assigned to him. Whether the ex-prosecutor resolved any financial “issues” with Plekhanov, the security forces should find out. And it is possible that in the course of the proceedings new facts will be revealed from the eventful biography of the businessman. By the way, interesting publicationsdedicated to the “gangster wars” that raged in Saratov in the 2nd half of the 90s and murder Alexandra Goryunova – Deputy Director of a Plekhanov-owned and still successfully functioning company “Ontario”. Allegedly then the future politician preferred pay off from the “brothers” from the “parkovskaya” organized criminal group, whom he paid for the “roof”.
Today Saratov political scientists note: the final approval of the odious Plekhanov as head of the Engels municipality may negatively affect the image of Busargin, who is in charge of the region, who has not yet got rid of the prefix “acting”. In the current difficult economic situation, the Kremlin is clearly concerned about the possible growth of protest moods in the regions. The appointment of the heads of districts is exclusively the prerogative of the governor, who, as a result, will have to answer to the federal center for any “slips” in personnel politics.
