Krasnoyarsk contractor details 10% kickback scheme in court

The name of State Duma deputy and former Krasnoyarsk mayor Sergei Yeryomin was mentioned for the first time in connection with the criminal case against Vladislav Loginov, and one of the bribe-givers explained when and how city contractors were forced to pay 10% of each government contract. Details in this report by NGS24.RU correspondent Dmitry Mamayev.

The court has banned photo and video recording during the proceedings — until the verdict is announced. The article will use archival photos, including from the previous hearing.

A series of court hearings

On 28 July, the Central District Court of Krasnoyarsk, as (already) usual, greeted visitors warmly at the entrance. Upon hearing that the media were passing through, they politely directed us to the right courtroom, as if understanding that nothing more interesting than the proceedings in the Vladislav Loginov case was happening within these walls today.

But unlike the first hearing, where Loginov was seen in person after a year of «forced absence,» far fewer journalists showed up this time. State TV channels somehow did not send their staff. But even without them, it was not boring. Apart from the long wait for the proceedings to start: during the time scheduled for the hearing on the ex-mayor, another session was held in the courtroom — we had to wait for it to end.

Loginov and Davydov were brought into the hall after the journalists and other attendees, as is customary, in handcuffs. They seemed, to my eyes, in much better spirits than last time (and later we will see this confirmed).

I took a seat in the front row — two meters from the cage where the officials were placed, and a few centimeters from another figure in the case — the «intermediary» Tatyana Sukhova. Apparently, she found such proximity unpleasant, and a second later she pulled her jacket, thrown on the bench, closer to herself, and then moved further away altogether.

However, I did not have to sit nearby for long: I had to move closer to the judge, where the first witness in the case — director of SPK Sfera, Abilfaz Allakhyarov — was speaking. The bailiffs did not allow me to place a phone with a voice recorder next to him and asked me to step aside toward the prosecutor.

«Before the Universiade, we need to help the city»

The talk turned to double-digit figures, namely 10% of the money from government contracts concluded since 2018. As the prosecution had previously reported, that is how much builders paid officials to win tenders. Allakhyarov revealed the scheme in a bit more detail.

According to him, such a «strategy» was first voiced in spring-summer 2018. Then, the head of UDIB, Yevgeny Zhvakin, gathered several contractors at a car wash near the Yenisysky Privoz market and said that in this way, businessmen were expected to help prepare the city for the 2019 Universiade. The money was supposedly to go to a certain fund.

— All of us who worked in the city, we were all gathered there. They called, gathered us, — Allakhyarov said, stammering and visibly nervous. — The conversation began: «The Universiade is coming — we need to help the city.» Like, you three or four companies will work, and the city needs help. 10% will [be transferred from the contract amount to the specified account]. We listened, then I came out, <...> said that I would not agree to this.

Yevgeny Zhvakin was detained in December 2024. He is currently not in custody and attends court hearings on his own.

Which of the contractors were present at the meeting, besides the notorious «Promstroy» mentioned in connection with the case, the director of Sfera did not specify, citing forgetfulness.

— Then they simply said that Zhvakin would call later, you will be invited, they will tell you [which] contract [who] will go to, who will work where, — Allakhyarov continued. — Then Zhvakin called, summoned us, and gave us a flash drive.

On the flash drive, according to the contractor, contracts were listed that SPK Sfera was supposed to bid on, while ignoring others. In some tenders, he adds, there was only one participant.

— I told [my subordinates], look at what facilities are there — [bid] there, nowhere else, because the city has decided.

According to the investigation, under this arrangement, contracts worth 376.2 million rubles (about $4.5 million at current rates) were concluded between SPK Sfera and the city, but of the agreed 10%, the contractor paid only 6.8 million rubles (about $81,000 at current rates), refusing to transfer the rest because he realized the money, in his words, was not going to the fund.

Tatyana Sukhova — a partner of Vice-Mayor Alexei Davydov — allegedly came to demand the money. When she heard that Allakhyarov would not pay, she asked him for money «for office repairs» — the contractor transferred about three million rubles (about $36,000 at current rates) to the account of the organization Global Trade. After that, Sfera began to have problems.

— Then I [had] a meeting with Zhvakin, he called me and said: «Why don»t you want to pay?« I say: »I don«t have the means.» He says: «We won»t let you work — there are orders from above.« I don»t know where the order came from, «from above.»

Allakhyarov, raising his voice and speaking with a note of indignation, as if he could finally take revenge on his offenders for his troubles, began to tell how, after refusing to pay, his organization was allegedly pushed out of road repairs and put on the list of dishonest contractors.

— I came out, won several contracts, and they really start creating problems for me. I got all my contracts <...> through court proceedings. They even wanted to take one contract... I won a contract for the cemetery, they even wanted to [put us on the blacklist of contractors]. They gave me a work order [of such volume] that it was impossible to do.

Later, the director of Sfera transferred another 3.8 million rubles (about $45,000 at current rates) through Sukhova. He said at the hearing that they approached him because there was «nothing to pay the builders.» In total — 6.8 million rubles, as previously reported.

«How I influenced»

After the prosecutor«s questions, the judge allowed the defendants themselves to address the witness. Vladislav Loginov asked questions first, having received a hefty stack of handwritten pages from his lawyers before the hearing.

— Since 2021, have I ever asked you to give me money, bribes? — Loginov was calm and restrained, not playing to the audience, asking precise questions while looking his interlocutor in the eye through the cage.

— Never, — Allakhyarov replied.

— Before the meeting on Shahtyorov [street where the said car wash is located. — Editor«s note], did we have an official meeting with all the contractors in the office?

— Honestly, I don«t remember. [There were meetings] constantly.

— Okay, when I spoke about the social responsibility of contractors in the amount of 10%, did I mention any organization, supplier of asphalt, cement, concrete, crushed stone? Did I mention a social fund that would manage it?

— I remember there was talk that before the Universiade we needed to help the city. That I remember exactly.

— Well, you yourself just mentioned the fund, didn«t you?

— Yes, there was talk that there would be a fund. Then I realized it wasn«t a fund.

— How did I influence your obtaining contracts, winning on the electronic platform on the most favorable terms? How did I influence? — the ex-mayor continued asking pointed questions.

— There was talk, and we [got contracts] with the help of UDIB.

— How did I influence the actual winning on the platform?

— It was some contract where there was no one [competitors in the bidding. — Editor«s note]. When I was the only one. Some contracts — there were [other] contractors, we did not take [until the price dropped] to 12%.

— Well, that is, on the platform, I understand, there were auctions and there was some drop [in price]. The auctions happen electronically with closed contractors, — Loginov concluded with no small satisfaction and (perhaps) a sense of victory in the dispute.

Then Loginov began to steer the dialogue toward the specific accusations.

— During the execution of contracts, how did I help execute them or execute them improperly, to save money, lower the cost of work, so that some work was underdone?

— That did not happen, all work was done, — the contractor answered immediately but with difficulty choosing words.

— Did I interfere with your work at any sites, forbid you to work, or organize some biased nitpicking?

— That«s why I came, I turned to you — what do you want from me, UDIB won»t let me work further.

— You asked me to stop the nitpicking?

— Yes, yes, I say, I helped [with] the office repairs, [and say]: «What do you want from me?»

— Did you come to me, say that you cannot pay 10% to the fund?

— I told you, you said nothing to me, said it was my right.

— Did I advise you to contact anyone about this issue?

— No.

Next, Loginov«s neighbor in the administration and now in the cage — Alexei Davydov — addressed the witness. Unlike his former boss, he took on the role of a showman and loudly, publicly decided to scold the director of Sfera for failing »presidential assignments.«

According to him, complaints about the organization«s work arose when it failed to properly complete a contract for the construction of a park in the Solnechny microdistrict — one of the residents had made a similar request on a direct line. Allakhyarov replied that the problem was in the project, and the 21 million rubles (about $250,000 at current rates) fine was imposed for construction waste on the site.

As a result, Davydov filed a motion to examine the witness«s earlier testimony.

Yeryomin

Then the lawyers spoke with the witness. Among the many clarifying details, the sharpest issue was the question about Loginov«s former boss — his name was mentioned openly in the context of the criminal case for the first time.

— Tell me, when you [were] on Shahtyorov and the issue of 10% was discussed. <...> Who initiated that conversation and on whose behalf was it held? — one of the arrested mayor«s lawyers asked harshly, head-on.

— The conversation was from Loginov, — the director of Sfera replied hesitantly, as if thinking. — I clearly remember that he said that <...> before the Universiade, the city needed help.

— Well, did he say it on his own behalf or on behalf of someone else? Well, for example, on behalf of Mayor Yeryomin?

— Maybe, I don«t know, I don»t remember, — Allakhyarov answered much more quietly.

— Well, was the name of Mayor Yeryomin mentioned? — the lawyer continued to press.

— I don«t remember.

Sergei Yeryomin led Krasnoyarsk from 2017, and Loginov served as his first deputy until 2022, when he himself became mayor. Yeryomin was elected to the State Duma, and in 2026 he again announced his candidacy for parliament.

An NGS24.RU correspondent tried to contact Sergei Yeryomin, but the deputy did not answer phone calls. There was also no response to a request for comment on the events described in Loginov«s criminal case in a messenger by the time of publication, although the message in Max was marked as read.

Continued: «They finally gave him a visa»: how the corruption scandal and Loginov«s criminal case will affect Yeryomin.

The next court hearing in Vladislav Loginov«s case will be held on 30 July. NGS24.RU collects all the details of this corruption scandal in a special report.