Ex-police in Krasnodar Krai convicted for 10-ton fertilizer bribe
The Krasnoarmeysky District Court announced the verdict against former police officers Andrey Kolontaevsky and Alexander Moiseyenko. They were charged under Part 1 of Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abuse of official powers) and subparagraphs «a», «v» of Part 5 of Article 290 (receiving a bribe by a group of persons by prior conspiracy on a large scale).
Previously, the police officers uncovered the theft of a bag of ammonium nitrate at the «Rossiya» enterprise, which is part of the «Agrokcomplex» owned by the family of former governor Tkachev. But instead of prosecuting the workers, the police offered to «settle the matter» for a bribe — 10 bags of fertilizers belonging to the enterprise, with a total value of 236,000 rubles (approximately $2,600 at current rates).
One of the workers agreed to the terms. The next day, as instructed by the police, a truck arrived at the enterprise and loaded 10 tons of ammonium nitrate. However, upon exiting, the truck was stopped by traffic police officers. Due to the lack of accompanying documents, an investigative-operational team was called to the scene.
Taking into account the role of each defendant, the court imposed the following sentences:
Andrey Kolontaevsky — a fine of 3.57 million rubles (approximately $39,700 at current rates), deprivation of the right to hold positions in state service in law enforcement agencies for five years, and deprivation of the rank of «police lieutenant colonel»;
Alexander Moiseyenko — a fine of 3.33 million rubles (approximately $37,000 at current rates), deprivation of the right to hold positions in state service in law enforcement agencies for four years, and deprivation of the rank of «police major».
The unified press service of the courts in the region clarified that if the fines are evaded, the punishment could be replaced with a more severe one. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and can be appealed.
