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Third suspect in Slavyanka case – director of the Security and Communications private company has been arrested

Company director tried to obstruct probe, put pressure on witnesses - SK

MOSCOW, November 28 (Itar-Tass) — The Investigation Committee /SK/ said it has arrested the third suspect in the Slavyanka case – director of the Security and Communications private company Andrei Lugansky.

"In the course of the probe into the criminal case against Defence Ministry officials and executives of the Security and Communications private company and the Slavyanka public company, the SK's Main Military Investigation Department /GVSU/ detained Andrei Lugansky on November 26. A court sanctioned his arrest," SK spokesman Vladimir Markin said.

Lugansky has been director general of Security and Communications since April 2011. He maintains friendly relations with company owner Alexander Yelkin. "Using various commercial organizations and fly-by-night firms, they arranged the theft of budget money, allocated for technical maintenance of Defence Ministry facilities," the SK representative noted.

According to the SK's information, "Lugansky and Yelkin, using their connections at the Security and Communications, carried out actions aimed at concealment and destruction of the evidence proving their illegal activity. Lugansky was involved in the actions to arrange pressure on witnesses in order to obstruct the investigation."

In December 2010, the Defence Ministry and the Security and Communications company signed a contract of services to maintain buildings and structures belonging to the Ministry. Under the contract, the commercial organization pledged to maintain the service lines and clean the rooms inside the buildings and the adjacent area.

Among the facilities due for maintenance was a building at the address Kolymazhny Lane, House 14. Another state contract envisioned its renovation with major overhaul of all service lines in the period from February 2011 through July 2012.

Although no maintenance works were carried out within the designated period, officials of the Defence Ministry, Slavyanka and Security and Communications signed fictitious acts of completed works and the bills, in accordance with which business persons illegally drew 52.6 million roubles of income.

The SK detained director general and founder of Security and Communications Alexander Yelkin and chief accountant Yulia Rotanova.

In the course of the searches at the offices and apartments of the executives of both companies and Defence Ministry officials, investigators retrieved numerous documents relevant to the case, including electronic media and certificates of title for real estate facilities. Some 4.6 million dollars and almost 130 million roubles were removed from bank cells opened to the name of Rotanova and members of her family, the SK reported earlier.

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