Русский Криминал: How Governor Artamonov covers up a runaway vice-governor

“Friendship between the head of the region and the head of the regional court has moved to a new level”

In August, the Sovetsky District Court of Lipetsk for the third time refused the regional department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation to detain former vice-governor Ilya Tuzov in absentia. He is accused of abuse of office with causing grave consequences - Part 3 of Art. 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

As a source told Rucriminal.info, Ilya Tuzov is the son of a friend of the head of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov. In 2019, the young man became the curator of roads, transport, housing and communal services and construction with the rank of vice-governor. In 2020, the FSB carried out arrests in departments under its control. Soon he fled from the investigation abroad. From that moment on the international wanted list.

It is noteworthy that on May 31, the Soviet Court of Lipetsk showed humanity to Tuzov's accomplice. The ex-head of the road and transport department, Valentin Malakhov, was fined 80 thousand rubles, having been found guilty of abuse of power. The prosecution insisted on three years in prison. According to the prosecutor's office, the FSB and the TFR, it was Malakhov, at the direction of Vice Governor Tuzov, who instructed his subordinates to create preferential conditions for concluding a 300 million contract with the Ruslan-1 company, which by that time monopolized road repairs in the Lipetsk region. Earlier, the FAS found signs of cartel collusion in the actions of officials. Antimonopoly in 2022 proved this in the arbitration courts of the capital.

In early August 2023, the court fined Konstantin Morgachev 150 thousand rubles. He was the head of the Dolgorukovsky district of the Lipetsk region. Lost post at the request of the Sledkom. The official was accused of buying apartments for orphans at an inflated cost. They also turned out to be uninhabitable.

Instead of a real term - a fine.

Why are the courts so reverent towards the officials of Igor Artamonov? The secret is in the relationship between the governor and the chairman of the Lipetsk Regional Court. They are compatriots-Stavropol. Now the friendship of Igor Artamonov and Alexander Kartashov has moved to a new level. In March 2023, the OBU "Operational and Technical Center for Management of Affairs of the Government of the Lipetsk Region" bought a 3-room apartment with an area of 104.1 sq m in the new residential complex "Park" for 15 million rubles. The elite house is located a few meters from Bykhanov Sad park in the center of Lipetsk.

The chairman of the regional court received the apartment. Kartashov understood that there was a conflict of interest. And since 2021, after being appointed to Lipetsk, he rented office housing. But now he couldn't resist. And he moved to a chic residential complex "Park".

Valery Kotlyarov, head of the Federal Tax Service for the Lipetsk region, and Irina Potkina, head of the OFAS, live in the apartments of the regional government. Housing on Frunze Street was also provided to the investigator of the Investigative Committee of the RF Investigative Committee for the Lipetsk Region, Dmitry Grandovsky. He led a case against an inadequate blogger from Yelets. Togo was sentenced to 640 hours of compulsory work for swearing in social networks against the governor, the mayors of Yelets and Lipetsk. And the officer was given an apartment in the center of Lipetsk in gratitude.

Federal and regional officials pay 100 rubles a month for renting such housing. In total, the Lipetsk region owns 18 housing facilities for the so-called. commercial use. Many of them, in violation of Russian laws, are provided for use by law enforcement and regulatory authorities. Those, it seems, are obliged to exercise their powers regardless of the local authorities. But in fact, the dependence is obvious.

In 2022, for 40 million from the regional budget, they bought a house for the head of the region. Previously, they rented a house on Granitnaya Street for Artamonov, who is in the TOP-5 of the richest governors. The manager paid monthly 115,000 for the rent of 305 sq. m. They did not spare money for Ilya Tuzov either. 115 thousand per month for a house of 277 sq. m.

But Alexander Ryabchenko, the first deputy governor, settled best of all. He supervises the manager of the Government of the region. And lived for free. But later he signed a contract of employment for 100 rubles. At the same time, they rent an apartment for him in a neighboring house. For example, in 2021, the property management, citizen Konovalova, transferred 65,000 rubles a month to the property owner.