123 million kickbacks
Taking kickbacks and bribes becomes unsafe, no matter how ambiguous it may sound. But, apparently, in Moscow and the Moscow region, officials believe that they live in the “Three-Ninth Kingdom,” inaccessible to the security forces. The first deputy chairman of the Moscow region government, Svetlana Strigunkova, probably also thought so. Not knowing that her previously detained former colleague had already ratted her out.
Employees of the Main Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee and the FSB recently detained the former first deputy chairman of the government of the Moscow region Svetlana Strigunkova. She is suspected of receiving a bribe of 150 million rubles (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country)). Literally the next day, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow sent the detainee under arrest until June 15. At the same time, Svetlana Anatolyevna, as if having a premonition, resigned from a high-ranking position at the end of March.
Testimony against Svetlana Strigunkova was given to the investigation by her former colleague, ex-deputy minister of the Moscow Region Ministry of Health, Alexander Zakharov – before her position as deputy chairman of the government, Ms. Strigunkova was the head of the same Ministry of Health. The wording used to detain the defendant: “for systematically receiving bribes from executors of government contracts for the repair of healthcare facilities in the Moscow region”. As First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Moscow Region, she oversaw issues of capital and routine repairs of hospitals in the region.
Svetlana Strigunkova asked the court for house arrest – allegedly, her mother was sick. But the court did not heed the request. Svetlana herself does not admit guilt. Although the official’s home has already been searched, during which large sums of cash, valuables and luxury items were seized.
We will return to the arrested deputy chairman of the Moscow region government later.
The businessman’s resentment has stuck
According to one of the media reports, for several days Alexander Zakharov’s colleagues were perplexed by his strange disappearance. The deputy minister did not show up for work, his phone was unreachable. The official unexpectedly found himself… in a pre-trial detention center.
Deputy Minister of Health of the Moscow Region Alexander Zakharov was detained by FSB officers on January 16 this year red-handed while accepting a bribe. The amount of the bribe is 150 million rubles. The Tverskoy District Court charged the official with committing a crime under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country). Mr. Zakharov received the bribe from a contract construction company that deals with major repairs.
At the Ministry of Health, Alexander Zakharov was in charge of major repairs and maintenance of buildings of healthcare institutions. Interestingly, on the day of his arrest, the official resigned from his position of his own free will. Before the arrest, or did the security forces give you the opportunity to write a statement?
Let’s make a small digression. According to one of the Internet resources, Zakharov does not have a medical education. He came to the Ministry of Health as a businessman – during his entrepreneurial activities he participated in 56 companies as a founder or manager. He started in Togliatti, and registered the rest of his companies in the Moscow region. On the one hand, it is nonsense when a person without a medical diploma works in the Ministry of Health. On the other hand, if this employee performs economic and production functions, then business experience will be useful.
It’s with the word “useful” that a conflict arose. Is it useful to what (business, department) or to whom (for carrying out schemes to “develop” budget revenues)? It is possible that Ms. Strigunkova, while still working at the Ministry of Economy, could have met businessman Zakharov and brought him with her to the Ministry of Health. But this is just an assumption, we are not confirming anything.
According to one of the media reports, after being detained while accepting a bribe, all former colleagues turned their backs on Alexander Zakharov. There was resentment or shock, but the person involved in the case of a bribe on an especially large scale began to “turn in” some of his former colleagues. In particular, we repeat, according to his testimony, Svetlana Strigunkova was detained. But, apparently, the ex-official was not “offended” by everyone.
We wrote earlier that, along the way, Zakharov could be a key figure who controlled the presence of employees of aggressive funeral homes in medical institutions. And he allegedly held the post in the Ministry of Health in agreement with the heads of law enforcement agencies. And now the “funeral workers” find themselves in a very interesting position; they will have to change something.
In 2013, Alexander Zakharov was already convicted of giving a bribe, but currently the verdict in this case has disappeared from the databases.
Highly qualified manager
Did the student at the State University of Management (SUM), majoring in state and municipal management with the status of a “highly qualified manager,” even think that she would end up in prison? But it all started very well right away. In 2001, a graduate of the State University of Management was hired not just anywhere, but by the Ministry of Economy of the Moscow Region as a leading specialist in the department of financial and budgetary regulation.
Then the “young and promising” specialist repeatedly improved her qualifications in various areas of economics and public administration. By May 2015, the former leading specialist had climbed the career ladder to the position of First Deputy Minister of Economy of the Moscow Region. Svetlana Anatolyevna assumed the position of Minister of Health and First Deputy Chairman of the regional government in January 2020.
A new career reality has arrived: a high position means great opportunities. According to media reports, the amount of kickbacks she received for hospital repairs amounted to 123 million rubles.
Strigunkova’s page on the VKontakte social network, on which a 44-year-old lady, for some reason, significantly understating her age to 27 years old, replete with cheerful photos. The cheerful, playful then-official posts photos from her holidays at seaside Russian and foreign resorts, and travels around Peterhof.
But this is personal life, for ethical reasons we won’t dig too deep into it. Other facts are more significant.
Major repairs
Let us recall that in her post as first deputy chairman of the government of the Moscow region, Svetlana Strigunkova oversaw the issues of capital and routine repairs of hospitals in the region. It was just an incident with supervision, if I may say so.
It is not known where the billions of rubles that were allocated for the overhaul of hospitals went. After all, Mrs. Strigunkova herself did not deny in 2023:
“Last year, 8.5 billion rubles were allocated for major repairs… This year, only for the major repair program – 12 billion”.
Apparently, the discussion was about the overhaul of 52 healthcare facilities; overhaul of 32 was to be carried out in 2023. Among them are 12 clinics and 19 hospitals. In addition, the program included the ongoing repair of 45 medical institutions: 20 clinics, 20 outpatient clinics, 4 hospitals in Voskresensk, Dubna, Naro-Fominsk and Balashikha, as well as a first aid station in Solnechnogorsk.
Doctors complain that in many hospitals the situation with repairs was catastrophic and remains so. Is Svetlana Strigunkova to blame for this? Let the investigation look into it; there is still a lot of work for him to do.
And one more point that requires clarification. When concluding a pre-trial agreement with the investigation, Alexander Zakharov said that he transferred part of his kickbacks to Ms. Strigunkova. But he was caught red-handed while receiving 150 million in bribes. Then was there a bribe given to Svetlana Strigunkova? Or did Mr. Zakharov take these 150 million specifically for her? After all, Svetlana Strigunkova is accused of receiving kickbacks of 123 million.
Apparently, the investigation still has a lot of work to do. We add that punishment under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country) (bribe on an especially large scale) may include imprisonment from 8 to 15 years.