In the Astrakhan region, a conviction against the former chairman of the board of directors of Astrakhan Airport OJSCAndrei Melnikov came into force, effectively removing the Ministry of Property of the Russian Federation from managing the company. As stated in the statement from the Prosecutor General's Office, at the time of the crime, Melnikov was a major shareholder and owner of Astrakhan Airlines OJSC, as well as the largest shareholder of Astrakhan Airport OJSC after the state. A criminal case against him was opened by the Astrakhan Transport Prosecutor's Office in February 2004. The businessman was charged with fraud, after which he was taken into custody by a court decision. The investigation established that Melnikov, through deception and abuse of trust, using a complex scheme of frauds often used by raiders, acquired the right to airport property worth over 53 million rubles. As a result, the Ministry of Property of the Russian Federation, representing the state and being a shareholder owning 51% of the shares of Astrakhan Airport OJSC, was actually removed from the management of the company, and Melnikov was given the opportunity to make decisions regarding the property of the joint-stock company without taking into account the interests of the state. The Sovetsky District Court of Astrakhan found Melnikov guilty under Art. 159-4 (fraud on an especially large scale) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and sentenced him to seven years in prison, as well as a fine of 500 thousand rubles.
