RIA: the defendants in the case of substandard body armor received 2.4 billion rubles from the Ministry of Defense
At least 2.4 billion rubles were received from the Russian Ministry of Defense by the defendants in the case of the supply of low-quality body armor for the army, RIA Novosti reported. The management of the Piquet Group of companies was detained in connection with the incident. According to investigators, the defendants invested the money they earned in land plots, a business center and shares. However, the detainees themselves insist that in their bulletproof vests, "the guys go into battle, get hit by bullets and shrapnel and stay alive," and claim that they were slandered.
The defendants in the case of the supply of low-quality body armor for the army received at least 2.4 billion rubles from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the case materials.
In early April, the Basmanny Court in connection with this case arrested Andrei Esipov, CEO of the Piket Group of Companies (GC), Mikhail Kalchenko, head of the security service, and Victoria Antonova, financial director, on charges of fraud on a particularly large scale.
Investigators believe that employees of the Picket Group stole money allocated by the Ministry of Defense to fulfill a state contract for the supply of protective equipment. They supplied at least 20,040 bulletproof vests and "plates" (smaller versions of bulletproof vests) that did not comply with the terms of the contract.
"As a result of their actions, they fraudulently received funds from the ministry in the amount of at least 2,400,000,000 rubles, having the opportunity to dispose of them at their own discretion," the case file says.
What did the billions go to
In May, Kommersant, with reference to the UK data, wrote that the management of the Piket holding had spent the proceeds on land plots, its own business center and shares in other companies.
According to the material, the general director of Piket Group of Companies, after signing the contract, bought three plots of land in Balashikha near Moscow: two with an area of 2.5 thousand square meters, another one - 2.2 thousand. Esipov also acquired a business center in the capital near the Tulskaya metro station, almost completely bought out Foundation Mary LLC (tobacco wholesale) and invested in a large number of shares of four more companies, buying from 25 to 75% of their share capital.
It is clarified that the money received from the state contract was distributed to 22 accounts in various banks. The investigation discovered and seized these funds and other assets.
"They didn't let me call the generals"
On August 11, the court extended the arrest of all three defendants in the case until September 3. As reported by the TASS news agency, the general director of the Picket, Esipov, called the case fabricated in court, while he expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
Esipov initially said that he "does not recognize and does not understand" the essence of the accusation. He said that all body armor was received by one military unit, which conducted an independent examination. According to the businessman, the marriage was not revealed at that time.
"The generals with whom contracts were signed know me, but they didn't give me a call, profit is not important to me
As the RBC publication wrote, all the accused deny guilt, insisting that the command of the units to which the bulletproof vests were sent is ready to confirm the quality of the products. Their lawyers emphasize that there was no crime, and the defendants were framed by the employees of the "Picket", who were fired for fraud. The defenders appealed against the arrests of the detainees and the blocking of their assets.
Anastasia Novikova
