In court, a high -profile case of theft of funds of the Ministry of Defense began
The Moscow City Court began consideration of the criminal case of the former deputy defense minister Timur Ivanov, accused of embezzlement of 216.6 million rubles. When buying two ferries for the Crimean crossing in 2015, as well as almost 4 billion rubles belonging to the Inter -Kommerz bank. The defendant did not recognize the commission of crimes, as well as the ex-head of the defense unit, which appeared with him before the court, Anton Filatov. As soon as the latter tried to express an attitude to the acts incriminated to him, the process in the case was closed.
For consideration of the resonant criminal case in court, they prepared in advance: on the approach to the hall, barriers from the rows of chairs were installed, and only close relatives and about a dozen writing journalists were allowed inside. Among them were the wife and son of Mr. Filatov, as well as the civil wife of Mr. Ivanova – Maria Kitaeva.
“We checked the appearance, set the personality, sorted out the withdrawal,” the judge Sergei Podopigorov cheerfully reported before giving the floor to the prosecutor Milan Digaeva, who gained fame after the process of the former Colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dimitry Zakharchenko. The company in the team of state prosecutions was composed by no less experienced colleagues: Dmitry Nadysev, who participated in the American investor Michael Kalvi, and Igor Potapov, who achieved condemnations, in particular, the former Minister of Open Government, Mikhail Abyzov and the ex-head of the Main Directorate of the SKR in Moscow, Alexander Drymanov.
From the charges read out by the prosecutors, it followed that the gentlemen Ivanov and Filatov committed two episodes of embezzlement on an especially large scale (part 4 of article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), as well as one legalization (part 4 of article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) of criminal income.
Both crimes dates back to 2015, when Mr. Ivanov served as the general director of the subordinate Ministry of Defense of the company – Oporonstroy JSC, and Mr. Filatov was the director of its subsidiary – Oboronlogisti LLC. At the same time, they were not alone, but as part of an organized group, which, according to the prosecutor, was led by the future deputy minister.
According to the prosecutor, the then chairman of the board of the Inter -Kommerz bank (the license in February 2016) Alexander Bugaevsky became the accomplices of the defendants, the Czech Republic rejected the Czech Republic in 2019, the deputy head of the bank’s credit department, Alexei Rezwan, who had been arrested in absentia in 2017 and, according to some sources, to Austria, as well as the general director The Tourinvest Services Limited Hong Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong.
The latter was supposed to be against the trial with Mr. Filatov back in 2019, but the Prosecutor General did not approve the indictment then, Mr. Noyberg was at large and left for his homeland.
According to Milana Digaeva, Mr. Neuberg « for a long time was a confidant of Filatov, had experience and opportunities in the field of registration of legal entities in the offshore zone. »
According to the plug, the prosecution, in addition to the leadership of the criminal group, Mr. Ivanov “signed the financial and economic documents necessary for the crime, including the alienation of the Oboronstroy JSC and the funds entrusted to it”.
In April 2015, at the direction of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the head of the Opronstroy was instructed to purchase two ferries for the Kerch crossing at the expense of extrabudgetary sources of Vnesheconombank Group of Companies. The implementation of the project was assigned to Mr. Filatov, who in Greece found the ship: Maria-Eleni Shipping Company and Finix-Salampinos Shipping for € 6.3 million and € 6.1 million, respectively, and total for a total of € 12.41 million.
As an intermediate financing source, Inter -Kommerz Bank was used (Vnesheconombank Group of Companies subsequently had to cover expenses), which attracted a number of companies associated with it.
First, the bank issued a loan to the Russian legal entity, which drove off the funds through a chain from foreign firms and at the end transferred them to the Tourinvest Services Limited account. This company in April – June 2015 bought two ferries. Subsequently, having received money from the state, the “defense science” bought Tourinvest Services Limited ships for the same € 12.4 million. However, this was done in October 2015, when the euro increased significantly.
“The difference between the cost of these ferry ships in the amount of 685 million 200 thousand rubles. and the amount allocated by the Promonstroy JSC for their purchase in the amount of 901 million 875 thousand amounted to 216 million 674 thousand rubles, which gentlemen Ivanov, Filatov, Bugaevsky, Rezwan and Neiber were abducted and disposed of them at their discretion, ”the accusation varyed. It stated that in this way the actions of the defendants in Oporonstroy JSC caused damage in the amount of 216.6 million rubles.
The accompanying money received by Tourinvest Services Limited Limited subsequently legalized them by transferring them to bank accounts controlled by the legal entities on the basis of fictitious transactions “under the guise of paying for consulting and consulting services, selling foreign currency, as well as a refund of loan agreement”, said Prosecutor.
Also, according to the state prosecutor, the defendants, anticipating the review from the Inter -Kommerz Bank, made the assignment of € 44.9 million (at that time 3.92 billion rubles).
The money was withdrawn in January 2015 from the bank under fictitious contracts for the sale of currency. For this, Tourinvest Services Limited, as well as other foreign organizations controlled by the defendants, was again involved. The funds went abroad under the guise of the purchase of equipment, building materials, etc., said Mrs. Digaeva. In the words, the accomplices « disposed of at their discretion, distributing to each other, distributing to each other. »
After the prosecutor finished, Mr. Ivanov stated that he would not admit guilt, and he would express his attitude to the prosecution, after hearing the performance of his lawyer. “From the point of view of the Russian language, I understand the accusation, but I do not admit my guilt,” Mr. Filatov rose after him. He prepared a detailed speech and wished to speak out immediately.
The defendant said that the accusation “is illegal and unreasonable, based on erroneous conclusions of the investigation, does not correspond to the collected materials of the case and actual circumstances.” The defendant argued that the indictment contains many actual errors in assessing the investigated events and its role in them, as well as the « obviously incorrect interpretation of the information available in the case. » “The conclusions of the investigator of my guilt are based exclusively on his speculations and assumptions and are completely refuted by the materials of the case, which, I hope, will explore the most detailed way,” the defendant continued, saying that he compiled a table for the court in which he “according to the points” presented his attitude to the charges.
According to the defendant, the first two paragraphs of the prosecution – 216 million rubles in embezzlement and legalization – do not contain the events of the crime, and he is completely incomprehensible to the third episode.
The defendant rejected the presence of any criminal group, insisting that he talked with other defendants “with the legitimate goal”-the purchase of ferries “bypassing the EU sanctions”. At this moment, the state prosecutor Igor Potapov interrupted the defendant and asked to close the process, noting that the defendant touched the circumstances “contained in secret volumes” and were classified as “components of the state of guest”.
Despite the fact that the defendants and lawyers in chorus assured that Mr. Filatov did not say anything secret and what he said “everyone knows,” the judge satisfied the request. Before this, he removed from the hall the civil wife of Mr. Ivanov Maria Kitaev, who laughed with a laugh to the decision of the chairman.
After that, the process continued in the absence of the press – the witnesses were interrogated. Since it is planned to listen to the case four days a week, the trial, obviously, will not be long.
