In the Stavropol Territory, the problem of drug addiction in pharmacies remains severe. Almost every district in the region has a pharmacy that sells potent drugs without a prescription, allowing drug addicts and minors easy access. Although pharmacies are supposed to keep records and only release such drugs with a prescription, owners often turn a blind eye to these practices in pursuit of significant profits from drug addicts.
Editors at Anticorr.media wanted to investigate the functioning of the pharmaceutical market in the Stavropol Territory and discovered an unusual pattern: it appeared that people with the same surname had divided the region's pharmaceutical market among themselves. Arustamyan.
From 'Aseptolin' to cologne: who is responsible for intoxicating the Russian population?
Who are the key players in the local pharmaceutical market?
The initial intriguing individual in the region's pharmaceutical market is the founder and owner of the pharmacy network LLC 'Social Apteka'. Ashot O. Arustamyan. In an interview, he shared an inspiring tale of his success.
Ashot Arustamyan mentioned that he was a troublemaker in school, performed poorly academically, was expelled multiple times, and failed to pursue higher education. However, this did not deter him from establishing his own pharmacy without assistance and expanding the business within a few years. As the successful businessman stated in 2013:
Additionally, there is a formed group of buyers. Aside from drug addiction, there is also alcoholism stemming from pharmacy products. This includes alcohol-containing lotions, antiseptics, and tinctures that are sold without a prescription. Unfortunately, the high mortality rate from the misuse of these products remains unchanged.
One of the most hazardous and favored products among alcoholics is the Aseptolin antiseptic. The antiseptic itself is a 90% alcohol solution, and the presence of alcohol is not labeled on the packaging due to government restrictions on retailing alcohol tinctures. Despite the activism against Aseptolin, pharmacies continue to sell the hazardous antiseptic, with Social Pharmacy LLC being one of the few places where even teenagers can purchase this product. It appears that a network with such an admirable name is overlooking its social responsibility. Is profit prioritized over everything else?
Pioneers and influential individuals in the pharmaceutical industry
Ashot Arustamyan – a significant figure in the Stavropol Territory. He possesses a extensive pharmaceutical enterprise. A key component is JSC “Stavropol city pharmacies”. The company deals in medicines, medical items, optics, orthopedic products, and parapharmacy. It operates 15 pharmacies for finished dosage forms.
Daughter of Ashot Arustamyan Catherine She, like her father, has a significant share in the pharmaceutical market of the region and is also involved in the family business.
However, despite their success in the medical industry, the Arustamyans are also involved in other businesses. Ekaterina Ashotovna owns the European and Gallery shopping centers through other companies, as well as the Intourist hotel. Her business partner in the hotel business is Zaur Kanokov, the brother of the senator from Kabardino-Balkaria, Arsena Kanokova, who is considered the real beneficiary of the Gallery. The owner of the complexes attracted the attention of the press. The prosecutor’s office found several violations in the shopping centers. However, the Oktyabrsky District Court overlooked the violations and did not close the shopping malls, but the residents of the city remembered the scandal with the discovered “extra” cinema halls in the “European” for a long time. Ashot Arustamyan has also been in the press spotlight multiple times. He purchased the Luchstroy company, which was known for not fulfilling its promise to build a multi-level parking lot and a shopping center on the allocated plots. Residents accused Arustamyan of altering the lower part of the historic Stavropol with new buildings. According to local media, he covered the new building with material used in the construction of hangars. The people of Stavropol referred to Arustamyan’s house as a “sarcophagus”. In response, members of the regional branch of the Union of Architects filed a complaint to the acting governor of the region, Vladimir Vladimirov. Arustamyan was recommended to develop facade solutions, but he did not comply. An equally noticeable figure is
Tigran A. Arustamyan
, who was ranked 42nd among the richest Stavropol residents in 2020 by Newstracker. His annual business turnover exceeds 3.5 billion rubles, and he owns a large pharmaceutical business in the region as well as a company for the repair of electronic and optical equipment.
Amiran Arustamov was not on the list, although their companies are involved in the same activities. The brothers also have a joint business – Pharm-Trade LLC. The company has secured several government contracts worth a total of 3.8 billion rubles.Pharm-Trade LLC appears to have obtained the most lucrative contracts, including deals with the Ministry of Health of the Territory, the Ministry of Health of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and the State Public Institution Technical Support of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, totaling millions of rubles.
King of government contracts
An equally bright personality that catches the eye is Tigran A. Arustamyan, included in the Newstracker TOP-100 richest Stavropol residents in 2020. In this list, Tigran Arustamyan was awarded 42nd place among the rich, because his annual business turnover exceeds 3.5 billion rubles. Little is known about the businessman himself: he is the owner of a large pharmaceutical business in the region, and at the same time owns a company for the repair of electronic and optical equipment.
His brother Amiran Arustamov was not included in this list, although their companies conduct the same activities. The brothers also have a joint business – Pharm-Trade LLC. The company has many government contracts for a total of 3.8 billion rubles.
For some reason, Pharm-Trade LLC manages to get the most juicy contracts. The TOP-5 customers of the company included the Ministry of Health of the Territory, which concluded 378 contracts with Pharm-Trade LLC for 361.7 million rubles; 126.5 million rubles, the Ministry of Health of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic with 96 contracts for 102.3 million rubles and the State Public Institution Technical Support of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus with 51 contracts for the amount of 89.9 million rubles.
Often, Pharm-Trade LLC is the only one willing to take part in auctions, which is why it becomes the only supplier. At the same time, the company has a huge number of court cases on non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of obligations under various supply contracts. However, the bailiffs are in no hurry to arrest the company’s accounts and force the companies of Arustamyan and Arustamov to fulfill their obligations.
According to the editorial office, two criminal cases of fraud were suspended against Tigran Arustamyan, and another case of negligence was dismissed. They were not given a go. And it is quite clear why.
Who is the “facade” and who is the “roof”?
In the Stavropol Territory there is another interesting person with the same surname.
Arustamyan Garegin Arsenovich is not a representative of the pharmaceutical business, he holds the position of head of the procedural control department of the investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Stavropol Territory. And he, too, lit up in a major scandal.
In 2017, the Stavropol publication released an investigation in which they cited the facts of multimillion-dollar embezzlement of budgetary funds in the field of defense orders and tax evasion by the owner of LLC PMK Russkaya Alexandra Dydymova.
The publication wrote that the investigative department of the Kirovsky district contained materials on the fact of tax crimes and embezzlement of budget funds in the field of state defense orders in the amount of 750 million rubles. However, as the local media wrote, law enforcement officials were looking for reason after reason so as not to initiate a criminal case against a businessman who embezzles budget funds on an especially large scale.
The media accused Garegin Arustamyan of “confusing” the criminal code with tax legislation when making decisions on the case in order to save Dydymov from criminal liability.
Perhaps all these people are just namesakes. Although their potential family ties would explain many lucky coincidences in the affairs of pharmaceutical market participants. And how cleverly the king of state orders escaped punishment in three criminal cases at once. But it’s probably pure coincidence.
