Prosecutor requests prison term for fraud in Chita gasification
The prosecution has requested a seven-year sentence in a general regime colony for former gasification concessionaire Stanislav Nevorov, ex-general director of the Vostochno-Arktichskaya Oil and Gas Corporation (VANK), who is accused of fraud. This was reported on January 26 by a Chita.Ru correspondent from the courtroom of the Central District Court of Chita.
The prosecutor stated, «I consider it possible to impose imprisonment: four years and nine months for each of the three episodes. By partially summing the sentences, the final imprisonment term should be six years and six months.»
He added that, taking into account the sentence already handed down by the Khabarovsk District Court and the partial summation of punishments, it is proposed to impose a total imprisonment term of seven years in a general regime correctional colony.
When determining the punishment, the prosecutor asked to consider the nature and degree of public danger, admission of guilt, remorse, assistance to the investigation, and partial compensation for damages.
Nevorov«s lawyer asked to consider that his client admitted guilt in all three fraud episodes and expressed remorse.
He also pointed out that the gasification of Chita was a complex challenge:
«Talks about gasifying Chita went on for over 30 years. But things didn»t move beyond words. Only with Nevorov«s arrival in Chita did the first steps appear, work on the project began: engaging with residents, design, construction. Objectively, the timelines were extremely tight. Perhaps, due to youth—he was 28—a perfectionist complex or inflated self-esteem, Nevorov thought he could achieve the nearly impossible. When difficulties arose, including financial ones, he decided that all means were justified, allowed the misappropriation of budget funds, i.e., theft, and their expenditure on other purposes.»
He noted that the concept of misappropriation of funds applies only to officials, which Nevorov is not, so the article on fraud is used. Moreover, according to the defender, Nevorov did not start building real estate for himself or transfer money to his accounts, but spent it on other projects.
Considering all circumstances and the defendant«s health condition, the lawyer requested a more lenient punishment with the possibility of a suspended sentence.
According to the prosecution, since 2022, a project to gasify private households has been implemented in Chita as part of the national project «Ecology». To carry out measures to convert homes from coal heating to gas, in May 2023 the regional ministry of housing, utilities, energy, digitalization, and communication provided a subsidy covering costs of 700 million rubles (approximately $7.8 million at current rates) to a commercial organization.
Knowing this, the defendant created an organized criminal group to embezzle budget funds by deceiving employees of the executive authorities of Zabaykalsky Krai and other individuals, for which he involved two acquaintances and the head of a contractor.
From June to August 2023, they entered into fictitious contracts for software development and installation, vehicle rental, and also provided interest-free loans to five individuals, embezzling 49 million rubles (approximately $544,400 at current rates).
