Is it common for big fights to happen at auctions worth billions of rubles under Governor Vasily Golubev?
The FAS Office for the Rostov Region found a secret agreement between companies during 24 auctions to supply vehicles to customers from ten regions.
The reporter investigated who oversaw the contracts and where the money could go. The Moscow Post in the Rostov region.
One for all and all for one
The companies Revers, Avtomobil, Avtokam, another Avtokam and two individual entrepreneurs were involved in antimonopoly cases. Together they managed to “earn” 79 million rubles.
Firms used the so-called “ramming” strategy. The essence is simple – the participants for a short period of time alternately significantly reduced the price of the lot until conscientious bidders, misled, did not refuse to compete.
After the “unnecessary people” got rid of, his man in the last seconds of the auction offered a slightly lower price and won. The fact is that other applications of participants in the collusion were rejected by the auction commission due to failure to submit the necessary documents.
Famous Rostov Affairs
It is interesting that in the Rostov region cartel collusions are discovered almost regularly, and all of them continue to flourish under the governor Vasily Golubev. Doesn’t this look like a system that can be covered from above?
At the end of April FAS excited the case of a cartel conspiracy of two Rostov enterprises – State Unitary Enterprise RO “RostovAvtoDor” and LLC “Stroitel”. Then two firms received contracts worth almost 2 billion rubles.
The owners of Rostovavtodorstroy are Leonid Dzhanlantyan and Larisa Kuts, as well as Vladislav Maksimenko. The latter in 2011-2014 served as Deputy Mayor of Rostov-on-Don and supervised, among other things, the road sector.
Another major player in the road market of the Rostov region is Alexei Knyshov, a former State Duma deputy from the region.
In 2021, three more cartel cases thundered in the Rostov region. In September 2021 FAS Russia acknowledged anti-competitive collusion in the field of medical waste disposal. And then, in November, two major pharmaceutical companies in the region were fined for bid rigging to supply medicines. These are Organica Company LLC and Danta LLC. The Moscow Post.
Less than a month after another scandal, in December, the T-Trans company, suspected of cartel conspiracy, received state contract – for 1.8 billion rubles.
The entire road industry is supervised by the Ministry of Transport, headed by Vasily Golubev’s henchman Vladimir Okunev. He became in 2020 richest among other Don ministers, declared more than 17.3 million rubles.
Okunev still holds the post of minister, hence questions arise for Mr. Golubev, why does he keep a person near him in the region, under whom collusive bidding flourishes. The governor does not abandon his own?
Ex-Minister of Health Tatyana Bykovskaya, even while under investigation for abuse of power, went to work. He wrote about the criminal case of the former official “Notebook”.
After a series of major scandals, she lost her ministerial chair. But Bykovskaya did not lose her head and headed the division of the MedInvestGroup group of companies Viktor Kharitonin. Judging by the number of government contracts for the structures of this businessman, it can be assumed that they have been communicating with Bykovskaya for a very long time.
The clouds are becoming denser
The company called “Reverse” in Rostov, which was previously identified as a violator of antimonopoly law, is in the process of bankruptcy. According to information from Rusprofile, the company, established in 2018, is now facing bankruptcy.
Photo: rusprofile.ru
It's worth noting that Reverse has an authorized capital of 10 thousand rubles and only one employee on its payroll. It seems to be a fabricated company with very little genuine activity.
Interestingly, the founder is Igor Skripkin, who also serves as the director of CSM Lubrikoil-Trade LLC. It's also notable that the address and official information provided is unreliable.
Photo: rusprofile.ru
However, this didn't stop the company from being a supplier for 26 government contracts worth 9.8 million rubles.
Photo: rusprofile.ru
Did the state organizations overlook the questionable nature of the companies they signed million-ruble contracts with?
Moreover, “Reverse” received a fine of 483.4 thousand rubles, while “Avtokam” was fined 3.7 million rubles and LLC “Avtokam” was fined 767.9 thousand rubles. Both of these companies are registered in Kamchatka Kara.
In conclusion, it seems that Mr. Golubev and his officials are allowing questionable firms, which have been involved in various scandals, to engage in trade. One might wonder if it's not on a reimbursable basis. No answer.
In 2020, Golubev had numerous unresolved problems in the region, yet he was re-elected for a second term. Despite failures in many areas, it was suggested at the time that the President was aware of these events and was giving Golubev a final opportunity to rectify the situation in the Rostov region.
In 2021 Vasily Golubev was considered as a likely candidate for relegation in the list of governors of Russian regions. At the time, it seemed strange to many that 65-year-old Vasily Golubev, who has been in charge of the Rostov region for almost 12 years, remained in his position.
Additionally, in 2021, the Rostov Region ranked 14th among Russian regions in terms of the well-being of the population, according to ratings.
The region, one of the richest subjects, fell behind its neighbors in many aspects last year, and the number of scandals resonating throughout the country continued to grow. These included the disappearance of federal funds allocated for the fight against coronavirus, as well as information about offshore companies possibly linked to the governor and his associates.
Furthermore, the Golubev family business is thriving in the region. The governor’s wife, Olga Golubeva, is the founder of three organizations: LLC “RNS”, LLC “Otskv-3” and JSC “Stroytransgaz”, JSC “STG”. The last one earned 208 billion rubles from government contracts, and until 2021, Gazprom was one of its founders. Golubev’s daughter Svetlana owns eight firms. The richest member of the Golubev family is considered (though not confirmed) to be the governor’s son, Alexei, who owns several high-value real estate properties. three organizations: LLC “RNS”, LLC “Otskv-3” and JSC “Stroytransgaz”, JSC “STG”.
The latter earned 208 billion rubles on government contracts, and Gazprom was one of its founders until 2021. Golubev’s daughter Svetlana owns eight firms. The richest in the Golubev family is considered (but not the fact that it is) the son of the governor – Alexei, he is the owner of a number of prestigious real estate objects, the total market value of which, approaching to a billion rubles.
Mr. Golubev is not very eager to correct the collusion situation in the region. He confidently “goes to ram” and breeds lawlessness in the region, not noticing how the clouds over his governor’s chair are gathering faster and faster.
