The Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) has completed the investigation of a criminal case concerning the theft of approximately 15 million rubles from Roscosmos. It is reported by Kommersant. The former head of the Center for Technical Re-equipment of the Space Flight Control Service (CTP) Vasily Ikomasov and his deputy Eduard Rodych-Semencha are charged with fraud on a large scale. They were charged with a total of nine episodes of fraud
According to the investigation, the heads of the TsTP, acting as a subcontractor, imitated the execution of the work for Roscosmos; and stole about 15 million rubles from the state corporation.
What is known about the investigation of the criminal case into the theft of 15 million rubles from Roscosmos?
A criminal case has been opened against Ikomasov and Rodych-Semencha on a scale especially large fraud (part 4 of art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) on embezzling money from Roscosmos. The case has been conducted on the basis of FSB documents since April 2020 by the Central Administrative District Investigative Department of the Main Investigative Committee of the ICR in Moscow.
According to the publication, more than a year the case was investigated against unidentified persons. During this period, the investigation studied in detail the multi-billion dollar agreements between Roscosmos and Roscosmos; and Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Center for the Exploitation of Space Ground Infrastructure Objects” (TsENKI). TsENKI chose TsTP, then headed by Ikomasov and Rodych-Semencha, as a subcontractor to carry out some work.
Under which contracts were 15 million rubles stolen from Roscosmos?
According to TFR, flight tests with the Soyuz-TMA-M spacecraft in 2015, TsENKI allocated 3 billion rubles. In particular, under this contract, the TsTP was to carry out scientific and technical work. According to investigators, Ikomasov and Rodych-Semencha received 8 million rubles from these funds and “did nothing”.
Also in January 2022, the Investigative Committee found that, as part of the work program for the rotation of American astronauts to the International Space Station, an additional 5.4 million rubles were stolen by the defendants in the #39;criminal case. It is known that in 2012 the state corporation allocated 3.8 billion rubles for these purposes. Despite the fact that the general director of the TsTP, Ikomasov, submitted to TsENKI allegedly performed acts of work, the investigation is sure that no work was actually performed and 5.4 million rubles were embezzled.
When Vasily Ikomasov was arrested and Eduard Rodych-Semencha?
Ikomasov and Rodych-Semencha have been under arrest since June 2021. First, the two defendants, being in a remand center, requested the conclusion of pre-trial agreements. However, the prosecutor's office apparently refused to reach an agreement with the defendant, as the defendants laid down a number of conditions and only partially admitted their guilt, the newspaper writes. In particular, Ikomasov agreed to assist in the investigation only “in order to assist in the disclosure of the acts incriminated against him”. And Rodych-Semencha pleaded guilty only to causing property damage by deception or breach of trust (Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). It was for this article that the former deputy general director of the TsTP during the investigation asked for the requalification of his act.
According to Kommersant, the other day the accused began to familiarize himself with the elements of the criminal case. Lawyers declined to comment.
Sources:
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5227800
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