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High-place official suspected of 500-million-rouble theft

he members of an organized group are suspected in systemic theft of federal budget money, allocated to the Rosagroleasing company

MOSCOW, April 18 (Itar-Tass) — A high-placed official from the Ministry of Agriculture and two business persons are suspected of a 500-million-rouble theft from the funds allocated to Rosagroleasing, the press service of the Interior Ministry's department for economic security and combating corruption /GUEBiPK/ told Itar-Tass.

"The members of an organized group are suspected in systemic theft of federal budget money, allocated to the Rosagroleasing company in the period from 2007 through 2009. Specifically, they are suspected of receiving more than 500 million roubles for fictitious supplies of equipment to distilleries and cattle farms," the GUEBiPK said.

The suspects in the case are director general of Mezhregiontorg Sergei Burdovsky, director general of the Lipetskagrotekhservis Igor Konyakhin and director of the Agriculture Ministry’s department for administrative work Oleg Donskikh. In 2007-2009, Donskikh headed a Rosagroleasing branch, and was a founder and director of a number of commercial organizations. Criminal cases against them were opened under Article 12359, Part 4 of Russia’s Criminal Code /"fraud"/.

"The criminals used a scheme under which they concluded agreements on leasing and supplies of commodities; budget money was transferred to settlement accounts of the organizations they controlled and then it was transferred to affiliates or cashed out. The fictitious documents on supplies then were drawn," an Interior Ministry official said.

At present, the investigators are checking the information that in the period from 2007 through 2090, the organizations controlled by the suspects, received more than four billion roubles.

"It has been ascertained that Donskikh played the key role in the organized group: he arranged the allocation of money, took part in drawing documents on transactions, and arranged for concealing the lack of equipment," the official said.

Burdovsky and Konyakhin are in custody. "After they were arrested, Donskikh quickly took a holiday, and then wrote a resignation statement," police said.

A search of Donskikh's countryside cottage in suburban Lipetsk found an unregistered pistol.

"Donskikh has been charged in absentia; he has been put on the wanted list," the GUEBiPK press service said.

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