Police seize 40 mln rbls from suspects in warship repair fraud case.

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MOSCOW, July 29 (Itar-Tass) — Police searched the apartments of the suspects in a warship repair fraud case, seizing 40 million roubles, an official at the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office (GVP) told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

On Thursday, Chief Military Prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky chaired a conference which addressed anti-corruption fight.

“More than 260 million roubles allocated for repairs of the heavy missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky were stolen by the director of the SPTB Zvyozdochka. What motivates the businessman is clear, as searches at his apartment and the apartments of his accomplices found cash, including hard currency, worth over 40 million roubles. The money was confiscated,” the GVP official said.

“The investigators are yet to determine what guided the Defense Ministry officials when they were concluding a contract with an unlicensed firm, and the motives of the Fleet command as they were signing fictitious acts on accepting works,” he added.

Northern Fleet prosecutors earlier ascertained that in the spring of 2010, the Defense Ministry concluded several contracts with the Zvyozdochka Special Production/Technological Basis (SPTB) for repairs of the Pyotr Veliky cruiser, and maintenance of a Northern Fleet submarine.

The Ministry issued acceptance certificates from July through November 2010 and transferred more than 356 million roubles to its accounts. But a check found that the company had failed to complete 265 million roubles of works.

Earlier, a criminal case over grand fraud was opened against Zvyozdochka SPTB director general Fyodor Barashko. The Investigative Committee then opened a case over negligence against head of the Defense Ministry’s office 1118, Captain 2nd class Vitaly Vagis, and a case against commander of the Pyotr Veliky’s electromechanical department Captain 1st class Vladimir Tayakin over exceeding of office powers and causing grave consequences. Both officers put their signatures on the fictitious work acceptance certificates.

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