"This case is legal surrealism"

On September 28, the Kirovsky District Court of Yaroslavl began to be considered on the merits of the former mayor of the city Evgeny Urlashov and his two colleagues - Dmitry Donskov and Alexei Lopatin. They were charged with receiving a bribe on an especially large scale and in attempted mediation in receiving a bribe on an especially large scale. All three defendants deny the guilt and consider the case politically motivated. Lawyers talk about serious procedural violations, and Yevgeny Urlashov recently announced a hunger strike for several days in protest that the case went to court in this form.

At the first meeting, Yevgeny Urlashov did not plead guilty and stated that he considered the case a provocation. Radio Liberty correspondent in Yaroslavl Daniil Kuznetsov is conducting a twitter broadcast from the courtroom:

#Urlashov wants to call as a witness a representative http://t.co/6dtq1nl8fn and not as a media

- Daniil Kuznetsov (@danila__Master) September 28, 2015

The court satisfied the request #Urlashov and removed Pic.twitter.com/unmhfwluxw from the Yarnyuz hall

- Daniil Kuznetsov (@danila__Master) September 28, 2015

Urlashov: The charge remains incomprehensible to me. The investigation shakes the facts. There is evidence of the provocation. Markin’s statement was discouraged.

- Daniil Kuznetsov (@danila__Master) September 28, 2015

#Urlashov : This case is a legal surrealism

- Daniil Kuznetsov (@danila__Master) September 28, 2015

Lopatin: I do not admit guilt. The case has a political character.

- Daniil Kuznetsov (@danila__Master) September 28, 2015

For the past two years, the former mayor of Yaroslavl and his colleagues, the alleged accomplices-former deputy Dmitry Donskov and ex-adviser Alexei Lopatin, held Sailor Silence in the Moscow investigative insulator. Evgeny Urlashov was arrested on the night of July 3, 2013 by representatives of the economic security department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was literally dragged over the scruff of the scruff and took away, not explaining the reasons, " so described these events by the press secretary of Urlashova Svetlana Efimova. The reasons became clear quite quickly: the investigation suspected the mayor of Yaroslavl in receiving a bribe in an especially large scale. A few days after that , Evgeny Urlashov was transferred to Moscow and removed from office.

According to the investigation, Evgeny Urlashov, Dmitry Donskov and Alexei Lopatin "acting as part of a group of persons by prior conspiracy" since December 2012, the director of the company "Roostroy" Sergei Shmelev was a bribe of 18 million rubles for the construction of construction work under the municipal contract. Otherwise, according to the investigation, officials threatened not to pay the contractor the money laid out under the contract. Representatives of the company "Radostroy" as a result, as investigators concluded, transferred 14 million rubles to an intermediary - entrepreneur Andrei Zakharov, who at that moment was detained. Zakharov, like another person involved in the case, Maxim Poikalainen , director of the institution “The Municipal Order of the Housing and Public Utilities” of the city of Yaroslavl, concluded a deal with the investigation. Both admitted the complicity in the attempt to give a bribe, and the court has already examined their case. Maxim Poikalinen received 4 years in colony strictly regime, and Andrei Zakharov - 1 year and 10 months. In April 2015, Zakharov was released .

Another episode of business concerns only the former mayor of Yaroslavl Evgeny Urlashov. The investigation believes that he received from the Director General of the Yardorstroy construction company Eduard Avdalyan 17 million rubles (from the expected 30) for transferring to him the ownership of the City Road Administration.

Both Sergey Shmelev and Eduard Avdalyan, after the statements of which a criminal case was instituted, pass as witnesses.

An hour before the closure of the prison, we were shown three volumes: get acquainted. Gentlemen, are there three volumes of 250 sheets, as a result, does this imagine?

In early September of this year , the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office approved the indictment against Urlashov, Donskov and Lopatin and sent the case to the Kirov court of Yaroslavl. A few days after that, three accused were transferred to Yaroslavl. On September 7, Evgeny Urlashov announced a hunger strike in protest that the case went to court with numerous, in his opinion, violations. The lawyers tried to pay attention to this during the preliminary hearings, making a motion to return the case to the prosecutor’s office, but the court did not find grounds for this. “The criminal case can go to court in any condition and will be considered by the court in any condition if the prosecution suits everything,” complains the lawyer Evgenia Urlashov Sergey Golubenkov and tells more about the violations committed during the investigation:

- August 2014, the investigation is completed, all evidence was collected, their volume is 59 volumes. 59 volumes are stitched and numbered, presented for familiarization. Okay, well, something was supplemented by the motions of the defense. In some cases, the investigation supplemented the case file without any petitions, on their own initiative. This is already a violation, because the investigation cannot be introduced in parallel with the materials of the criminal case and continue the preliminary investigation. One way or another, by August 2015, when the protocol was signed on familiarization with the case in full, taking into account all the additions, the volumes were 70. The last three volumes were given to us literally, because at the same time the protocol was drawn up on familiarization with the case materials. An hour before the closure of the prison, we were shown three volumes: Nate, get acquainted. Gentlemen, are there three volumes of 250 sheets, as a result, does this imagine? And why does the prosecutor’s office, the supervisor, considers it normal? But this is not enough! When we sign a protocol of familiarization with the case file, fixing that they presented us in full, in 70 volumes, we only from the indictment received after the prosecutor’s approval, we find out that, it turns out that 77 volumes have already arrived from the investigative insulator! How is this possible? That is, there are 7 volumes of the case materials that none of the accused seemed to be. When we look into the inventory of these volumes, which did not exist before, we find documents that are dated to 2014. The question arises: if they, according to simple logic, not only procedural, lay in 70 volumes, now they are in the 75th and 76th volume, what is in their place? And how was the reorganization of the case file? It turns out that what we met does not correspond to what is now in court. How to consider the case in such conditions?

It turns out that what we met does not correspond to what is now in court

In addition, a number of evidence were received with gross violations of the law. For example, audio recordings are investigated, but not their literal content is certified, but a certain approximate inventory of their approximate meaning is compiled. There are also notes in the Armenian language, and the translator is invited, as a result, the content of the conversation is also transmitted by general phrases like: here people talk about something of their own. The investigator writes all this and invites everyone to believe the word that it is. In some cases, participants in these negotiations are not even established, although they are attached as material evidence, ”said lawyer Sergey Golubenkov.

On September 10, a few days after Evgeny Urlashov announced a hunger strike, a post appeared on the politician page on social networks , which explains why the former mayor of Yaroslavl took such a step. He demands that he be acquainted with some case materials that was not provided to him before. In particular, Urlashov demands to familiarize him with telephone conversations in Armenian, where unknown people congratulate each other on the arrest of the mayor, and in which the words “Shmelev”, “Radostroy”, “Avdalyan” are clearly heard. Urlashov also asks him to provide him with the literal content of Sergei Shmelev’s conversations with employees of the Main Directorate of Economic Security and Combating Corruption, who took part in the detention. The former head of this unit, Denis Sugrobov, is currently awaiting the court on charges of provoking bribes.

Read more about the position of Evgeny Urlashova, lawyer Sergei Golubenkov tells:

Everything is very simple here: if it is possible with him, then with everyone you can

- Eugene simply wanted to draw the attention of the public in the broad sense, and the professional community, to the character, number and scale of the violations with which his case was investigated. Everything is very simple here: if it is possible with him, then with everyone you can. And do not ask for whom the bell calls, he calls for each of us. Because if the investigation can be ended in such a resonant business, then what can we say about less resonant matters ...

- What is the position of Evgeny Urlashov in the case?

- He believes that the interests of the local and regional political elite, which he interfered with, and corrupt police officers, came together, since the entire top of the unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was engaged in this case and conducted preparations for its excitement, now under investigation, and some have already been convicted. This is the "Sugrobov team" , the deceased Boris Kolesnikov directed all this, and his subordinates did all this. An incredible number of questions to them.

He believes that the interests of the local political elite and corrupt police officers came together here, since now the entire top of that unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under investigation

- Will you petition for their interrogation in court?

- Of course, yes. Moreover, some of them have already been declared as witnesses in this case, declared the charge. And those who are not declared the charge have the right to declare protection, ”said lawyer Sergey Golubenkov.

It is expected that the trial will go in a dense schedule with a break only on weekends from September 28 to November 20, says Sergey Golubenkov.

The responsible secretary of the Federal Political Council of the Democratic Choice party Kirill Shulik does not doubt: the case of Evgeny Urlashov is an opposition and independent mayors left in the Russian political arena:

- This is an absolutely political matter, one hundred percent. One of its organizers was the governor of the hawks, this is in the materials of the criminal case, in telephone conversations, when he talks with businessman Vaginak Poghosyan or Sergey Shmelev on his work phone. The performers of this were subordinates to General Svugrobov, who are now in a pre -trial detention center under a criminal case for the falsification of such investigations. There, of course, the case of Evgeny Urlashov is not mentioned, but other similar cases that were initiated in a number of regions of Russia are mentioned. Directly in Yaroslavl, General Kolesnikov was engaged in arrest, so this is a fairly dark business. It is beneficial primarily to the regional authorities and the governor who freed himself from two strong competitors - Evgenia Urlashov and Yuri Lastochkin , mayor of Rybinsk. These were two candidates for the governors to replace Yastrebova. Lastochkin was, unlike Urlashov, a member of United Russia, nevertheless, this did not save him from criminal prosecution.

The local authorities are faced with the task of not planting Urlashov, then deprive the right to participate in the elections, which means to ensure a conviction

Currently, in the Yaroslavl region, the political glade is completely cleaned from the opposition in the person of Urlashov. The Civil Platform was strong there, but it was defeated. Urlashov could win the election to the Legislative Assembly, could win the governor's elections. Therefore, now the local authorities are faced with the task, if not to imprison Urlashov, then deprive the right to participate in the elections, which means to ensure a conviction. For the federal government, everything is also clear here: an example is shown that an independent politician cannot work in Russia as mayor. Urlashov, by the way, was offered to join United Russia, and according to him, Sergey Neverov did it personally. Urlashov refused. After that, this chain of events began, which led to his arrest. That is, this is a signal to the mayors that they should behave correctly in relation to the party in power. Watch how the elbow behaves in Novosibirsk. He remains a member of the Communist Party, but nevertheless, it is quite systematically helping the authorities, including in some political issues. For example, he forbade monstance ... Under Urlashov, by the way, the first monstration was held in the city, he did not forbid any mass shares at all, encouraged political freedom. He took into his team people of completely different political views. And in Novosibirsk this is not close, although the mayor formally represents the opposition party. This, I think, including the consequences of the "case of Urlashov."

- Do you believe that the deadline will not be as cruel as possible?

- Yes, I'm an optimist. Here is the best and legal - to close the criminal case and justify Urlashov. All the materials of the case speak in his favor, and the only evidence that this money was intended for him is the testimony of one of the accused in this case, Zakharov, who made a deal on the investigation and is already at large. According to the law, Urlashov should be released, but we have not considered political affairs by law, we understand this perfectly, ”concludes Cyril Shulik.

Political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin draws attention to one more possible aspect of the “Urlashov case”: they can be used to deprive the opposition of the deputy mandate, which remained behind the Parnas party in the Yaroslavl Duma after the death of Boris Nemtsov:

-This is no longer federal significance, at the local regional level, someone with someone gets scores, unfinished on time. In addition, it is possible that from the case of Urlashov the local authorities want to inflate the "Case of the PARNAS party mandate." Nemtsov bequeathed his mandate, which exempts Parnasa, which exempts from the need to collect signatures before the federal elections. Thus, Navalny receives legal access to television. And Navalny on television is a nuclear bomb for the ruling regime. Therefore, by truth and indirects, Parnassus must be removed. To do this, it must be deprived of the only mandate that he has in the Yaroslavl region. This can be done in several ways. For example, to dissolve the Yaroslavl Duma, to hold additional elections, and not to miss the Parnassus there. Or the person who has this mandate is expelled from the Duma under some kind of pretext. Perhaps this pretext can be pulled out of the "case of Urlashov." In any case, it is clear that there is a very serious political component. It remains unclear who will play him: the local authorities, who will be advised to get rid of the Mandate of Paranas from the center or who want to take accounts with their opponent. Or this process will be controlled directly from the federal center, then it will somehow be associated with the legacy of Boris Nemtsov and the prospects of Navalny in the 2016 elections, ”said political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin.

Evgeny Urlashov was elected mayor of Yaroslavl on April 1, 2012, acting as an independent candidate and defeating Yakov Yakushev in the second round of United Russia. Already under arrest, Urlashov through lawyers reported that he suggested that events could develop in this way and said that a provocation was being prepared against him. Under the accusations, Evgeny Urlashov threatens up to 15 years in prison, his colleagues - Dmitry Donskov and Alexei Lopatin - up to 12 years old.