Last week, it was once again revealed that the infamous Laikovo residential complex in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region probably wouldn't be completed by spring.
The governor of the region, Andrei Vorobyov, said deceived equity holders would get their apartments by spring, but Konstantin Timofeev, head of the Fund for the Protection of Shareholders’ Rights, also said construction would be completed in 2021, which didn't happen.
One equity holder, retired officer Sergei Nikulin, asked prosecutors to hold those responsible for violating the law, as the bankrupt companies SU-155 and Urban Group built the residential complex. Money from the federal and regional budgets was allocated to complete it, but the developers' co-owners fled to Cyprus, and the officials who promised to help deceived people did not fulfill their promises.
FLOWERING CORRUPTION
Residents of the Moscow region have many questions for Governor Andrei Vorobyov and wonder why he remains in power despite many unsolved problems in the region. The former head of the Serpukhov District, Alexander Shestun, has pointed out corruption in the region to the head of department “K” of the FSB of Russia, Ivan Tkachev, but received no response. Shestun claims that bribes in the Moscow region have become mandatory payments, particularly in the construction sector. These corrupt practices have reportedly brought officials billions of dollars.
A forest in the Moscow region is designated for development, and Governor Andrei Vorobyov has the authority to allocate land without tenders. Rumors suggest that land was taken from owners in prestigious areas of the region to be sold at higher prices, yielding large profits for officials.
In the Moscow region, companies earn significant sums from government contracts, but they also have to pay in order to obtain them. Corruption is prevalent in the allocation of contracts for construction and overhaul of healthcare, sports, culture, and education facilities, as well as for housing under the renovation program. The Ministry of Ecology makes money from solid waste landfills and quarries, which often violate the law, and the dubious collaboration could bring Andrey Vorobyov’s team large sums of money.
GOVERNOR DOES NOT HAVE PROBLEMS
Officials also earn money for the construction of markets, shopping centers and maintenance of cemeteries. In the field of transport, tribute is also collected, but recently quite a lot of money has been brought to them by the sale of positions. So, according to rumors, in the suburbs you can buy the post of head of the municipality. It was possible to head Khimki for $20 million, and to get a mandate of a deputy of the Moscow Regional Duma – for $1 million. And cultural events and actions, and the gas industry, and even the corrupt. It turns out that officials make a profit wherever there is such an opportunity.
