YAROSLAVL, October 24 (Itar-Tass) - Employees of the mayor’s office in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region in north-western Russia, could not enter the office on Thursday, as the search continues in the office of the city authorities, press secretary of the Rybinsk mayor Lyudmila Filippova told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
“People in mufti did not permit me to enter the building of the city authorities without any explanations. The employees, who remained in the building, including Rybinsk Mayor Yuri Lastochkin, do not answer the phone calls,” Filippova said.
The regional police department confirmed to Itar-Tass that the investigation department of the Russian Investigative Committee in the Central Federal District are taking investigative actions in the Rybinsk authorities.
In July 2013 the investigative bodies opened a criminal case against Rybinsk Mayor Yuri Lastochkin, who is suspected of office abuse. The detectives found that in 2009 Lastochkin at the post of the general director of the research-and-production association Saturn, concluded a contract for the sale of wastewater treatment facilities at the cost of 4.8 million roubles (about $151 thousand) to the company Stroyinzhiniring. He set this price on his own, but the market cost of the facilities makes more than 121 million roubles (about $3.9 million).
In April 2011, becoming the Rybinsk mayor, Lastochkin agreed on the purchase of this property for the needs of city water channel at the real market price. Meanwhile, the water supply company affiliated with the company Stroyinzhiniring acted as the seller.
As a result of the deal the research-and-production association Saturn inflicted the damage to the tune of more than 116 million roubles (about $3.7 million).
Yuri Lastochkin was re-elected at the post of the mayor of the city of Rybinsk on September 8, 2013. More than 80 percent of voters supported him.