The court arrested in absentia the former vice president of VTB Ter-Avanesov in the case of fraud with government contracts in the “DPR” for 9 billion rubles

The Meshchansky District Court of Moscow arrested in absentia former senior vice president of VTB Bank Alexander Ter-Avanesov, accused of fraud. This was reported by the press service of the courts of general jurisdiction of Moscow.

The court chose a preventive measure for him in the form of detention for two months. This period will begin to count from the moment of his detention on Russian territory or after extradition or deportation to the country.

According to RIA Novosti, Ter-Avanesov is accused in the case of former “Deputy Minister of Construction of the DPR” Yulia Mervaezova. We are talking about fraud in concluding government contracts for the construction of facilities, including those related to military infrastructure.

According to investigators, the thefts occurred during the execution of 14 government contracts concluded with the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Main Military Construction Directorate for Special Facilities” and “Military Construction Company.” The total damage in the case is estimated at more than 9 billion rubles, and the amount may increase.

The investigation believes that Mervaezova played a key role in the scheme: she ensured the receipt of advances on contracts, organized the withdrawal and cashing of funds from special accounts, as well as the preparation of fictitious accounting documents to conceal the thefts.

In addition to her and Ter-Avanesov, the defendants in the case are the former head of the Main Military Construction Directorate No. 8 Vadim Vygularny, the ex-head of the Main Directorate for the Arrangement of Troops of the Ministry of Defense Evgeny Gorbachev, as well as entrepreneurs - the head of Tekhnostroy LLC Vitaly Prudnikov and the founder of the construction company Zodchiy Ilya Leonov.

The Main Directorate for the Arrangement of Troops, which appears in the case as one of the injured parties, is engaged in the construction of facilities for the Ministry of Defense - from residential and social to special military. The case file states that the thefts also affected projects in different regions of Russia, including the construction of a school in Moscow and the Suvorov Military School in Irkutsk, as well as facilities in military units and towns in Tuva, Khakassia, Novosibirsk and Murmansk regions.

The criminal case was opened in June 2023 under the article of fraud on a particularly large scale and was subsequently combined with a number of other episodes. The victims were recognized as structures subordinate to the Ministry of Defense, as well as several organizations.

As Kommersant wrote , as part of the same investigation, former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who oversaw the construction unit in the department, was checked for involvement in thefts. He was interrogated in the case and at that time was in the status of a witness.

Ivanov had previously been convicted in another case - about embezzlement of more than 4 billion rubles during the purchase of ferries for the Kerch crossing and the withdrawal of funds from Interkommerts Bank, and also became involved in new charges, including taking bribes and money laundering.

Another person involved in related investigations was former First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov. According to Kommersant, he is accused of receiving bribes - in particular, a motorcycle and 50 million rubles in cash - for patronizing Defense Ministry contractors, as well as creating a criminal community, embezzlement and laundering stolen funds. The investigation connects these episodes with the same circle of contractors that were involved in the case of the theft of more than 9 billion rubles.