Ex-Department Director in Yaroslavl Accused of Bribery

Maxim Frolov, the former director of the Department of Property and Land Relations of the Yaroslavl Region, is accused of taking a bribe and abuse of office, reports the regional publication 76.RU.

The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Yaroslavl Region stated: «According to the investigation, in December 2018, the 51-year-old accused, who held the position of director of one of the departments of the Yaroslavl Region, by virtue of his official position, acting in the interests of a commercial organization, received an illegal reward in the form of mobile phones worth a total of 330,000 rubles (approx. $3,300 at current rates) for taking actions to eliminate violations committed in the preparation of auction documentation and to facilitate its conclusion and execution, up to and including payment.»

Information about the bribe became known during the investigation of another criminal case initiated in connection with Frolov«s abuse of authority in the period from 2019 to 2020.

According to the investigation, during auctions for the purchase of housing for socially vulnerable citizens, the official committed violations that led to the failure to allocate budget funds and the failure to provide people with decent housing.

Currently, the court has seized the accused«s property worth over 10 million rubles (approx. $100,000 at current rates). The investigation into the case continues. If found guilty, Maxim Frolov faces up to 12 years in prison.

Maxim Frolov became the head of the Department of Property and Land Relations in March 2017. Before moving to Yaroslavl, he worked at the Federal Service for Financial Markets, the Moscow Department of Property, and the Committee for Competition Policy of the Moscow Region. Since 2014, he has been the head of the Moscow State Unitary Enterprise for Technological Production Procurement.

Frolov left his position in the Yaroslavl government in September 2020, resigning of his own accord.