Court in Engels to hear new criminal case against Dmitry Tepin

Dmitry Tepin will stand trial with an alleged accomplice in a corruption case related to road repairs.

Jan 27, 2026

The ex-official has been involved in multiple legal processes for several years.
Source:
Vladimir Barsukov / Public Opinion

The prosecutor«s office of the Saratov region has approved an indictment in a high-profile criminal case concerning corruption in road repair. The defendants are former head of the Engels district Dmitry Tepin and former deputy director of the municipal institution »Gorodskoye Khozyaystvo« (City Utilities) Alexander Fokin.

They are accused of committing a crime under Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abuse of official powers).

The criminal case was initiated based on materials from a prosecutor«s inspection. According to the investigation, in 2019–2020, the officials, acting out of selfish and personal interest, organized 16 auctions for road repairs in Engels under the national project »Safe Quality Roads«. The bidding criteria were specifically limited, creating preferences for a predetermined road construction organization. Municipal contracts were concluded with it for a total amount of over 599 million rubles (approximately $6.7 million at current rates).

As established by law enforcement, the contractor improperly fulfilled its obligations, leading to the termination of the contracts. Subsequently, the auctions were held again on a competitive basis, and the work was completed by several organizations. The actions of the accused, according to the investigation, led to unfair execution of road works and illegally restricted the opportunities of other economic entities.

In December, 164.RU reported that Tepin had his sentence reduced in a case related to his other position: before leading the municipality, he headed the regional Ministry of Construction. He was found guilty of failing to utilize 300 million rubles (approximately $3.3 million at current rates) allocated for the purchase of housing for orphaned children.

Initially, Tepin received five years of imprisonment in a general regime colony, but later the First Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction mitigated the sentence, sentencing the ex-official to eight months of corrective labor.