Letter of the amber baron

While the Polish court decides on the extradition of the former leader of the gray business for the extraction of “sun stone” to Russia, the organizations that non -existent organizations collect appeals under the letter to the President

Most of the legends about amber were composed of the Baltic peoples, but today more than half of the industrial reserves of this mineral is located in Russia, namely, in the Kaliningrad region. There were their own legends-about people who came to the amber business in the 90s, and so they remained in it. At the moment, these “legends” are intently studying the investigating authorities, and the state returns control over a strategically important industry for the region.

This week, the District Court of the Polish city of Gdansk considers the issue of extradition to Russia Viktor Bogdan, whom the Russian media call the “amber king”, and Russian law enforcement agencies are suspected of fraud in especially large sizes when compensating VAT. (According to the sources of “New”, more serious accusations may probably be brought in, including the organization of the criminal community, that is, under Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.) It is clear that there is a direct connection between these two stories: Bogdan, also known as the ballet, in the past, the police sergeant, for many years, was closed by the amber business in the Kaliningrad region. The scheme was simple: in accordance with the requirements of the antimonopoly legislation, the monopolist, the FSUE Kaliningrad Amber Plant (Kyak), was supposed to crush deliveries between several firms, but all of them, according to operational data, were somehow closed to ballet. And the ends of the export chain were lost somewhere on the border with China, because it is there that you can sell amber at the maximum price.

But recently, the state remembered the problems of the amber industry and the beginning of systemic work on its decriminalization. She walked in several directions. Firstly, the work of the security forces was sharply activated, and not only the local Ministry of Internal Affairs, but also the FSB and the Federal Customs Service.

Secondly, Kyak himself was transferred from the Ministry of Finance, who was not particularly needed, in the state corporation of Rostekhnology, which seriously entered the role of the responsible host.

Write letters?

Last summer, after the flight of ballet due to the initiation of a criminal case, Kyak finally began the sale of independent manufacturers. Moreover, about 70% of the raw materials were implemented in the territory of the Kaliningrad region ( see the “New” certificate ).

It should seem more surprising for an outside observer the appearance of a letter in the name of Vladimir Putin and a number of high -ranking security forces in early April. Signers, positioning themselves as representatives of the Kaliningrad Amber Industry, demanded to check the activities of Kyak, because, it turns out that with the new leadership in the regional market there was a shortage of raw materials. The Kaliningrad law enforcement agencies initially suggested that they could deal with the manipulations of Bogdan who left Russia.

In the name of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Kaliningrad Region, several appeals of the signator of the petition were received (there are copies of these documents in the editorial office). Entrepreneurs said that, having received a telephone invitation, on April 2 they came to the general meeting of members of the Amber Union non -profit organization. At the meeting, a certain “petition addressed Putin, Medvedev, Kolokoltsev and everyone who was remembered and who is related to power” was announced. According to the secretary of the meeting of Olga Glinskaya, the text was prepared not by her and not the chairman of the Union Vasily Simonov, but a certain “initiative group”. Glinskaya proposed filling out signature sheets - separately from the text of the circulation.

That is, the signatures of entrepreneurs, perhaps real, but the text may well be falsified. At least, the Kaliningrad law enforcement officers are now actively practicing a similar version - as part of a preliminary investigation.

It is possible that the probable return to the territory of the Russian Federation Viktor Bogdan will help to establish real authors of the letter-he will be able to answer the question of whether the “Amber Union” is in fact controlled by the organization, the main task of which is today is to discredit the complex efforts of the state to put the order in the amber business?

Perhaps the story with a letter will force law enforcement officers to carefully look at the heads of the non -profit organization itself. All of them do not experience a shortage of raw materials: according to official figures, from 2011 to the present, Simonov’s structures have acquired almost 700 kilograms of amber from Kyak, firms associated with Glinskaya, more than a quarter of a ton. But even against their background, the third nominal head of the Amber Union is distinguished - Mikhail Simukov, whose companies bought about 45 tons of amber - more than 10% of the annual Kyak production. These are volumes that the overwhelming majority of the signaling petition signed. Moreover, according to local authorities, there are many “dead souls” among them - representatives of firms that have never officially purchased amber and have not paid a tax ruble.

But the main thing is this: the organization that organized the meeting does not legally exist, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation officially stated that the Amber Union was expelled from the registry back in 2008. That is, the meeting at which the signatures was collected was not authorized - and this is another area of work for the local Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Land issue

Obviously, the illegal amber business could not have arisen and actively develop without the protection of local officials. Kaliningrad law enforcement officers have successes in this direction.

At the end of March, investigators of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Kaliningrad Region charged under Part 3 of Art. 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“excess of official powers”) to employees of the administration of the Guryevsky district of the Kaliningrad region Nikolai Shelein and Alexei Kornakov. Both are suspected of fraud with land plots rich in amber raw.

So, according to investigators, last year, with the participation of Shelein and Kornakov, the administration of the Guryevsky district submitted the conclusion of the Moscow Academic Company LLC, according to which only 10 thousand rubles were estimated at the Rodnika’s village nearly hectares in the village of Springs. True, this company does not conduct business outside the capital, and the real value of the land was at least 20 times higher. At least it is indicative that not anyone bought the site, but the mother of Nikolai Shelin's mother.

No less questions are raised by the sale of 12 hectares of land in the village of Coast. The same “Moscow Academic Company” called the cost of 100 thousand rubles, while the appraisers that are not connected with officials begin with a figure of 4 million ...

The question is, the answer to which the investigation has yet to be found: what did the officials count on, helping the wealthy amber areas to go into private hands? Did this scheme make sense without logical continuation in the form of the sale of raw materials abroad, which Bogdan and its people are still controlled by some extent?

About 60 tons of amber were found in the ballet caches. Among the seized stone, many copies weighing more than one and a half kilograms were discovered. According to experts, some samples are a rarity. The total cost of stones, according to preliminary estimates, exceeds 2 billion rubles. “I did not take Russia, I took the whole world! I buy everything in the root and dictated prices for amber in the world market. At my warehouses now lies at least 100 tons of amber, ”Viktor Bogdan said in a commentary on the Russia 1 television channel in the fall of 2012. Recall that, in accordance with Russian laws, pieces of amber weighing over 1 kilogram are considered precious stones and must be transferred to the Gostra. This is another reason why ballet is looking forward to Russia. A person who took the world, according to law enforcement officers, may turn out to be the organizer of the criminal community that challenged the state - and lost.

Anton Khoroshilov