The Investigative Committee has completed its investigation into the former mayor of Nizhny Novgorod, accused of taking bribes and kidnapping. The statute of limitations for these cases expires in April 2019.
The ICR has completed the investigation of the criminal case against the former head of Nizhny Novgorod and the vice-speaker of the legislative assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Oleg Sorokin. The politician is accused of accepting a bribe in connection with the largest land auction in the city for 453 hectares of land for housing development, and the kidnapping in 2004 of a person. Experts believe that Oleg Sorokin and his seven lawyers will not rush to familiarize themselves with the case materials, since the statute of limitations expires in April 2019 on a particularly grave kidnapping charge.
The preliminary investigation in the criminal case against the former vice-speaker of the Nizhny Novgorod parliament, Oleg Sorokin, who was arrested in December 2017, was completed in early May. He is charged with taking a bribe "in the form of illegal provision of services of a property nature." According to the investigation, in 2013, on behalf of Oleg Sorokin, his former friend Mansur Sadekov had to transfer $ 1 million to Vektron so that it would not interfere with Ingradstroy (controlled by Oleg Sorokin's wife Elada Nagornaya and his business partners) to win the competition for lease of 453 hectares of land for housing. The second episode of the accusation concerns the participation of Oleg Sorokin in the so-called operational experiment of police officers of the regional police department. In December 2003, an attempt was made on businessman Oleg Sorokin. Investigating him, the Criminal Investigators in the car of Oleg Sorokin forcibly took Alexander Novoselov, the security guard of the then vice-speaker of the Nizhny Novgorod Legislative Assembly, Mikhail Dikin, into the forest. Aleksandr Novoselov claimed that Oleg Sorokin himself was in the forest, who took an ax out of the trunk and threatened to “chop off his leg,” while the police beat him and strangled him with a bag. Frightened Alexander Novoselov testified against his boss, who was sentenced to 16 years.
Oleg Sorokin and four of his lawyers tried to refute the investigator's interpretation of the events of 2004 and 2013 as serious crimes in court yesterday to extend the term of detention. In the case of Aleksandr Novoselov, prisoner Sorokin said that the testimony of a security guard who had previously been “convicted of perjury and telephone terrorism” cannot be taken as true. He said that he provided the police with his Mercedes at an official request as part of an investigation into an attempt on his life, not knowing what his car would be used for. He noted that the European Court of Human Rights, which awarded compensation to Alexander Novoselov, "did not question" the legality of the operational experiment. His defender Sergei Lebedev recalled that for 14 years the Nizhny Novgorod law enforcement agencies and courts had not seen any crime in “moving Novoselov from point A to point B”. The defense attorney Lebedev called the arguments of the investigators procedural cheating.
In the case of the competition for 453 hectares of land, the lawyer believes, the investigation changed the concept, “turning commercial bribery into a bribe”. The lawyers cited the transcript of a hidden audio recording of the negotiations between Vectron's representatives and Oleg Sorokin in Cannes, from which it followed that he suggested that the company's representatives officially enter the auction and invest in Nizhny Novgorod.
Also, the defense and Oleg Sorokin criticized the formal reasons for the arrest. They were especially outraged by the refusal of the investigation to seize his passport with an open visa. "I need to burn this passport in public in the hall, or what?" - complained the accused, trying to convince the court that if the person under investigation decides to flee the country, it is unlikely that he will legally cross the border. Voluntary resignation of parliamentary powers to Oleg Sorokin also did not help. Investigator of the ICR Yevgeny Lagunov argued that the “former” deputy chairman of the Legislative Assembly is still a significant person in the city and can influence the course of the investigation, and his wife used a car with diplomatic numbers (Elada Nagornaya is the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Nizhny Novgorod). As a result, the court extended the term of Oleg Sorokin's arrest until August 1, considering that the accused politician who used the business jet could flee abroad to his wife and children or obstruct the investigation.
According to the lawyers following this criminal case, given that the statute of limitations on the grave abduction charge expires in April 2019, it is unlikely that the accused Sorokin and two former operatives Yevgeny Voronin and Roman Markeev will rush to familiarize themselves with the case.
Oleg Sorokin is a prominent domestic businessman who was involved in parliamentary activities. At one time he was vice-chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region, led by himself. Currently, he is in custody on charges of accepting a bribe.
Biography of the politician
Oleg Sorokin was born in 1967. He was born in Nizhny Novgorod, the city was then called Gorky.
He graduated from a local commercial institute. He made a career in the field of private entrepreneurship. In 2001, he became the head of the city-planning company "Capital Nizhny".
He was also Deputy Director for Finance at the Territorial Road Fund of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Building bussiness
Sorokin Oleg Valentinovich specialized in the construction of residential buildings, as well as large business centers and shopping and entertainment complexes.
In 2003, thanks to his efforts, a modern European-level entertainment center called "Etazhi" appeared in Nizhny Novgorod. Over time, a business center arose, which was called "Capital Nizhny".
In 2006, Oleg Sorokin began to build the largest residential complex of multi-storey buildings at that time "Seventh Heaven". Not far from the Volga embankment, 18 houses were designed. The project was completed by 2012.
Since 2007, the Fantastika shopping mall has been under construction, which in 2013 was bought by the Auchan company.
After Oleg Sorokin became mayor, his wife took over the leadership of his business empire. She has already launched the construction of a residential complex, which received the beautiful name "Flowers" in 2012, opened the shopping center "Seventh Heaven", which started working near the residential complex of the same name.
Among the major projects of recent years, it is worth noting the beginning of the construction of the Aquamarine residential complex, the construction of a house on Svoboda Square, and a restaurant on Volzhskaya Embankment.
At the very beginning of the business career of Sorokin Oleg Valentinovich, it was risky. In 2003, he was nearly killed during an assassination attempt. The businessman was fired upon in the car. Sorokin received three bullet wounds, he underwent several emergency operations.
A trial was held, which recognized the organizers of the attack by police lieutenant colonel Alexander Dikin and his brother Mikhail, who at that time was the vice-speaker of the regional parliament.
Mayor of Nizhny Novgorod
In 2010, Oleg Sorokin, whose photo is in this article, won the mayoral elections in Nizhny Novgorod. He was supported by 28 out of 42 deputies. In this post, he replaced Vadim Bulavinov.
Sorokin's work as mayor was associated with numerous scandals. Repeatedly on federal channels there were stories about his activities. In particular, the channel "Russia 1" shot a whole documentary film, the author of which was Arkady Mamontov. One of the plots was dedicated to the biography of Oleg Sorokin. It was alleged that after he became mayor, large-scale construction began in the city. For the sake of residential complexes, which were built by the mayor's wife, historical buildings were demolished.
At the same time, numerous violations were committed during the construction. For example, communications were laid not at the expense of the developer, but with money from the city budget. As a result, the treasury suffered serious damage. In the same film, a hidden camera footage was shown on which Sorokin spends his weekend in Cannes.
Conflict with the governor
In 2015, already at the end of his term, Sorokin came into conflict with Valery Shantsev, who had held this post for ten years.
Shantsev planned to appoint the new mayor Dmitry Svatkovsky, who was close to the regional government. Sorokin openly opposed this candidacy and did everything to prevent it from passing.
As a result, Ivan Karnilin became the new one.
Personal life
Oleg Sorokin and his family have appeared on the pages of the media more than once. His wife's name is Elada Lvovna Nagornaya. She is the daughter of the head of the city's Central Department Store. After her husband went into politics, she is the director of the construction department at the capital Nizhny town-planning company. Has many public positions. For example, Nagornaya is the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Nizhny Novgorod.
According to journalists, in 2013 she became the richest wife of a Russian official. Her annual income alone was estimated at one and a half billion rubles. Since 2015, she is a co-owner of the Semenovskaya Khokhloma Painting Limited Liability Company.
The hero of our article has three children. These are two sons, whose names are Danila and Nikita, and daughter Elizabeth. Celebrities, including federal officials, often communicate with the Sorokin family. For example, Elizabeth's godfather - who at that time was the president's commissioner for children's rights.
Currently, his son Nikita, who is 25 years old, is most often in public space. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. In 2016 he became a member of the regional parliament.
Sorokin's arrest
It came as a surprise to many when, on December 18, 2017, the investigative committee opened a criminal case against Sorokin. He was accused of causing significant property damage through deception. According to the investigation, Sorokin received a bribe when he was mayor.
As a result, 14 land plots were designated for housing construction. During a search in his private house, operatives found one and a half billion rubles in cash. At that time, the hero of our article was the vice-speaker of the regional parliament.
On February 19, the district court of Nizhny Novgorod ruled to detain Sorokin pending trial. In the pre-trial detention center, he will stay at least until February 17.
Oleg Sorokin, vice-speaker of the Nizhny Novgorod Legislative Assembly, was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe "in the form of illegal provision of property services." The former mayor of Nizhny Novgorod is called by the deputies "the number one entrepreneur", and his wife, who runs the family business, in 2012 became the richest of the wives of Russian officials with earnings of 1.5 billion rubles. Political scientists associate the criminal prosecution of Oleg Sorokin with the efforts of the presidential envoy in the Volga Federal District (VFD) Mikhail Babich to strengthen the positions of the acting governor Gleb Nikitin.
On December 19, police officers and the Investigative Committee detained Oleg Sorokin, searches were carried out in the offices of the Stolitsa Nizhny company, which he controls, with the participation of special forces soldiers. In the evening, the Nizhniy Novgorod District Court arrested him until February 17. According to the press service of the court, Oleg Sorokin was charged under Part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Taking a bribe". The plot of the charge concerns the events of 2012-2013, when the Ingradstroy company, as the only participant in the auction, received the largest territory at the auction of the Property Ministry - 14 land plots combined into one lot with a total area of 453 hectares. Now the construction of the New Kuznechikha residential complex is underway on these lands.
The results of the auction in the OFAS and arbitration courts were contested by the Moscow-based Vektron CJSC. And in 2013, a friend of Oleg Sorokin's businessman Mansur Sadekov was arrested. He asked his relative to put in a safe deposit box $ 1 million in rubles to bribe the management of Vectron. For this amount, Muscovites had to withdraw their claims without creating problems for the winner of the auction. When Mr. Sadekov was put in Matrosskaya Tishina, he said that he had paid his money on behalf of and in the interests of Oleg Sorokin: Ingradstroy is Oleg Sorokin's company and the price of the plots to be bought was lowered several times.
Then the court, studying the recordings of the conversations between Mansurs Sadekov and Oleg Sorokin, could not establish the involvement of the ex-head of the city in the bribery of representatives of ZAO Vektron. Mansur Sadekov was awarded a 300 million fine. According to the verdict, on his own initiative, he decided to give his 30 million rubles, hoping for the location of the head of the city. Then Oleg Sorokin called this story a provocation planned against him by the subordinates of General Denis Sugrobov (the former head of the Directorate for Economic Security and the PC of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, convicted of organizing a criminal community).
Now the ICR decided that the ex-mayor is still involved in this story, and Mr. Sadekov transferred the money in the interests of Oleg Sorokin and at his request. The press service of the court reported that the money to Ingradstroy was provided by Stolitsa Nizhny to participate in the auction under the loan agreement. The deputy is accused of accepting a bribe "in the form of illegal provision of property services on an especially large scale."
According to various sources, Mr. Sorokin had connections with criminal circles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1998, together with his partners, at a closed auction, he bought a controlling stake in the Start plant, which subsequently went bankrupt, and in its place appeared the entrepreneur's first shopping center, Etazhi.
Oleg Sorokin has been elected to the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma three times since 2005. As a deputy, he was in conflict with the former mayor Vadim Bulavinov, who could not be re-elected to this post in 2010. With the support of the team of ex-governor Valery Shantsev, in 2010 Oleg Sorokin became the head of Nizhny Novgorod. However, in 2014, he entered into an open conflict with the governor, having formed a parliamentary majority in the City Duma, which hindered the initiatives of the regional authorities. In 2016, he became a deputy and vice speaker of the regional legislature. To secure at least half of the supporters in parliament, Mr. Sorokin, according to unofficial data, spent about 2 billion rubles on the election campaign. In November, the vice-speaker and his associates withdrew from the political council of the United Russia branch.
Companies affiliated with Oleg Sorokin own the largest housing complexes in Nizhny Novgorod, including those in the historical center of the city. His company also operates the largest shopping centers in the regional center. The business is run by Mr. Sorokin's wife Elada Nagornaya with partners. In 2012, she became the richest of the wives of Russian officials, earning 1.5 billion rubles. The family is in gratuitous perpetual use of two houses 262 and 440 sq. m in French Cannes, as well as seven land plots in Nizhny Novgorod with lease until the 2050s.
The speaker of the Legislative Assembly Yevgeny Lebedev learned about the arrest of his deputy from the media. He told Kommersant that until “the situation is cleared up,” the Legislative Assembly will not make personnel decisions in relation to Oleg Sorokin. And about. Aleksandr Sharonov, the secretary of the United Russia branch, told Kommersant that before the suspension of his membership in the party, it is necessary to study the “content of events” and “the reasoned legal position of the prosecution and defense”. The deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Vladimir Bulanov believes that the arrest of Mr. Sorokin will damage both the reputation of the region and the acting governor Gleb Nikitin, who advocates attracting investments: “When businessman number one is imprisoned in a case with the stench of four years ago, it’s bad. Oleg Sorokin is a smart man, he caught signals from above and moderated his political ambitions, but they still hit him. "
Gleb Nikitin, who was appointed by the president at the end of September, was able to carry out not only the management reform of Nizhny Novgorod, but also to leave the ex-mayor's supporters without posts as a result of the reform of local self-government. First, city manager Sergei Belov resigned after being found guilty of negligence. The deputy head of the administration, Sergei Mironov, left with him. Recently, the head of Nizhny Novgorod, Elizaveta Solonchenko, announced her resignation. The head of the "Fair Russia" branch, Alexander Bochkarev, was placed under house arrest.
“Mr. Nikitin has the power and political support of the embassy, which actively helps him as a young politician. For every famous player in the Nizhny Novgorod region, a folder is created, which is taken out at the right time. We saw this in the case of Vadim Bulavinov and the former leadership of Nizhny Novgorod. As for Oleg Sorokin, where there is big business, big claims inevitably arise, ”says political analyst Valentina Buzmakova. The head of the political expert group, Konstantin Kalachev, also did not rule out "the influence of the plenipotentiary mission" in the vice-speaker's case, but noted that with regard to Mr. Sorokin, "the Sadekov case was not the only thing that could be found and proved." Political analyst Alexander Kynev noted that Oleg Sorokin, who was a key politician of the region along with the governor, is "a unique case of political vitality." “Despite a lot of compromising material on him, for many years this did not lead to any consequences,” the political scientist noted. “Sorokin, obviously, had extensive connections in Moscow, which are probably now weakened. And the acting head received carte blanche, incomparable with what Shantsev had. "
Roman Kryazhev, Alexandra Vikulova, Roman Ryskal, Nizhny Novgorod; Maria-Louise Tirmaste
She emigrated from Russia, it became known after his son - a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region from the Liberal Democratic Party Nikita Sorokin - stopped attending plenary sessions. Regional media suggest that the entire family of the disgraced mayor is now in one of the European countries. In the archive of the agency Ruspres mentions of real estate, which the officials' relatives acquired in France. The future of the business that was associated with her remains in question.
In 2017, Nikita Sorokin never attended committees and plenary sessions, and voter registration stopped at his reception. Speaker of the regional parliament Yevgeny Lebedev makes a helpless gesture: it is impossible to deprive a truant deputy's mandate, especially since he sent an official letter that he is absent due to health problems. Shareholders who have bought apartments in future micro-districts are increasingly expressing fear that their housing will become long-term construction. Meanwhile, the developer's representatives assure that they will fulfill their obligations efficiently and on time.
Nikita Sorokin is the most unusual deputy of the Legislative Assembly. In his twenties, he enters Liberal Democratic Party and immediately passes on the party list to the regional parliament, overtaking senior party comrades who have been working as political missionaries for more than one five-year period. On the other hand, with a dad like Oleg Sorokin, you can safely run for the State Duma or PACE.
After the arrest of his father, the young deputy abruptly goes into the shadows, and since January he stops attending the OZS altogether. Reception of citizens is also frozen: a sign on the door hangs, but there is no person and, it seems, is not expected in the near future. “Appointments are not made either for February or March. Why - I do not know anything, not to me, ”the head of his reception Irina Chernigina answered by telephone to journalists.
The deputies also do not know if their colleague will return. Although - not for a microphone - they express understanding and absenteeism are not condemned: disgrace can happen to anyone, especially if you are rich, influential and have several procedural episodes.
“Both according to federal laws and the laws of our region, a deputy is accountable only to his voters. As for the attendance of committees, meetings of the Legislative Assembly, the deputy is supposed to do this, although it is not necessary. we cannot get a mandate, - said today the speaker of the OZS of the Nizhny Novgorod region Evgeny Lebedev... "In this situation, we are just waiting for the development of events and hope that he will attend meetings."
The chairman of the parliament confirmed that on the eve of the February plenum he received a letter from Nikita Sorokin, where he said that he could not take part in the work of the OZS due to illness. This form of notification is common practice and fits the definition of “good reason”. Even if the named reason does not correspond to reality.
“Even if he is abroad today, I can only blame him for writing about his illness, not about his absence from the country, but the presence of a deputy abroad is also not a crime, this is his decision. What can I show him? Say, “You are misleading me. Come to us and attend ”? And he will tell me: "I can not." In general, this is a sensitive issue, and I would like the deputies to be obliged to attend meetings, ”said Yevgeny Lebedev.
According to Pravda Volga Federal District, the wife of Oleg Sorokin also left for Europe. Elada Nagornaya- with his second son. The mother of a businesswoman, Elena Nagornaya, is also abroad, who at the last court session, where the issue of extending the term of her son-in-law's arrest was considered, applied in absentia for a bail of 50 million rubles to mitigate the measure of restraint. The court did not meet halfway and extended Oleg Sorokin's stay in the pre-trial detention center until May 18.
The once-thriving business empire was effectively abandoned by its owners, not counting, of course, the other shareholders of this company. Shareholders who made an advance payment and took out a mortgage, of course, got nervous. After all, we are talking about the construction of two gigantic residential areas, and in the event of a construction stop, the problem may affect, according to various estimates, about 3 thousand families. Nevertheless, in Stolitsa Nizhniy, which actually includes the subsidiary developer companies, they reassure that the situation is under control, and Nizhny Novgorod residents have no cause for concern.
"Recall, LLC "Start-Stroy" is one of the few Nizhny Novgorod companies that did not suspend their activities and continued construction even in the midst of the serious financial crisis of 2008, - the developer's representatives recalled. - One of the founders of Start-Stroy LLC is indeed Elada Nagornaya, but she is not the only founder. In addition, she is not the head of the company, therefore, by law, she is not authorized to make decisions on the operational management of the company. The absence in the city of one of the founders of the company or his family members cannot in any way affect the construction of the residential complex, since the financing of the construction does not depend on the founder. They cannot "quit the construction site", since it is not individuals who are responsible for the construction, but legal entities whose activities are controlled by the supervisory authorities. "
Stolitsa Nizhniy stressed that the construction of facilities is being carried out in full accordance with the schedule. Moreover, in accordance with the form established by law, the developer provides timely reports to the regional Ministry of Construction. “The company guarantees that all houses will be commissioned on time stated in the project declarations,” the source said.
As previously reported by the agency Ruspres, Oleg Sorokin was arrested on December 19, 2017, he is charged with taking a bribe (part 6 of article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The criminal case is connected with an auction in 2012 for the right to complex development of 453 hectares in the Soviet district of Nizhny Novgorod for housing construction. This right was received by Ingradstroy LLC, which currently belongs to Start-Stroy LLC, controlled by Sorokin's wife Elade Nagornaya... Elada Nagornaya is also known for declaring the largest income among the wives of Russian officials in 2012.
