How arrested

On Wednesday, the Basmanny Court of Moscow until late evening addressed the issue of the arrest of the governor of the Sakhalin region Alexander Khoroshavin, as well as his adviser Andrei Ikramov. They, as well as the head of the secretariat of the governor Andrey Usachev from the region were sent to the capital protected by scheduled flight on Wednesday morning. The day before, on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, FSB and the investigating authorities suddenly raided and seized documents in the building of the Sakhalin Oblast Administration.

During the trial, the investigation became clear position: the governor received a bribe in a large scale at the conclusion of contracts for the construction of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk TPP-1.

The crime, according to investigators, was carried out during the construction between 2010 and January of 2013.

First, the familiar Khoroshavina told RBC that the governor is suspected of accepting a bribe of 60 million rubles. However, the court has called the investigation a representative of a different amount - $ 5.6 million.

The investigator said that Horoshavin used to commit the crimes of their subordinates, in particular advisor Eekamova.

Region "Rosneft" and "Gazprom"

Sakhalin Governor controls the edge of the rich, but the main income comes large companies, supervised by the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Federal Tariff Service and the Ministry of Energy. Regional and local authorities can not influence the tax revenues - are regulated by federal law.

Projects

Major projects in the region - Shelf project "Sakhalin-1" (participants: "Rosneft" - 20%, of ExxonMobil - 30%, Sodeco - 30%,'s ONGC - 20% of proven oil reserves - 84 million barrels, gas - 27.8. bcm) and "Sakhalin-2" (operator -. Sakhalin Energy, 50% plus one share of which belong to "Gazprom", 27.5% minus one share - Royal Dutch Shell, 12,5% of shares - Mitsui, 10% - Mitsubishi).

Conflict

Between the shareholders of the project is the corporate conflict for access to the gas transmission system in February 2015, "Rosneft" has lost a court for access to the gas pipeline "Sakhalin-2" (runs north to south Sakhalin and provides access to transit capacity on the island), as the Court of Arbitration Sakhalinskth region considered that "in the framework of the dispute the plaintiff failed to prove the need for access to the pipeline to transport gas in the claimed amount", as the company failed to provide "documents confirming that the LNG plant will be built" (according to Interfax quotes). The oil company would appeal the arbitration decision. "Rosneft" has filed a complaint against "Gazprom" to the FAS in May, 2014.

Budget

Sakhalin Oblast budget revenues in 2014 (according to a report on the implementation of the budget.) - 143.5 billion rubles, 85.8 billion of which falls on the corporate income tax, 60.7 billion of which, in turn, account for tax on the profit organizations in the performance of production sharing agreements concluded before 1995 (ie, the "Sakhalin-1"). Another 27 billion rubles. regional budget received as a share of profit production state in the performance of production sharing agreements (for the project "Sakhalin-1" -. 9.4 billion rubles for the project "Sakhalin-2" - 18.1 billion rubles.). Sakhalin Energy's revenue for the first nine months of 2014 (according to "Gazprom" reporting data) - 220 billion rubles, p.ibyl - 87.5 billion rubles.

Sudden operation

During the last time Khoroshavina actively criticized representatives of the Popular Front. The forum ONF in December 2013 co-chairman of the central headquarters of the movement, Alexander Brechalov told President Vladimir Putin on the state procurement of the Sakhalin Governor under "Improving the image of the governor" for 680 million rubles. During 2014 there were periodic publication of ONF Khoroshavin exceeded budget expenditures for their needs. However, in early 2015, RBC Kremlin sources reported that the governor "strayed" and responsible for the elections in the country did not face against his re-election.

Precedent when the governor suddenly, without announcement of an investigation, in handcuffs sent to Moscow was not. Normally trials occur after the head of the field leaving his post. It happened twice last year - with the governors of the Bryansk region Nikolai Denin and Novosibirsk region Vasily Yurchenko.

And only a governor of the Nenets avtonomnogDistrict of Alexei Barinov was arrested in 2006, as head of the region, but this investigation was carried out in public about a month.

interest in security forces

The main speakers at the detention Khoroshavina were representatives of the Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) and the FSB. According to the TFR Vladimir Markin, within the framework of the criminal case conducted ten searches on Sakhalin Island and five in Moscow and the Moscow region. "In Moscow apartment, in the country and the residence Khoroshavina seized large sums of money in rubles and foreign currency, a large amount of jewelry and expensive watches and phone numbers," - said Markin.

The FSB director Alexander Bortnikov told detention Khoroshavina "ordinary corruption component."

In a press release TFR called on all officials who "confuse their personal coat with the state": "Stay until it's too late!". "The very fact of a criminal case against officials of such a high level confirms the determination of the state in the fight against corruption, one of the gLavna principles of which - the untouchables was and never will be, "- the statement says Raman. At the same time the names mentioned earlier convicted the former governor of the Tula region Vyacheslav Dudka, mayors of Stavropol Igor Bestuzhev and Astrakhan Mikhail Stolyarov.

A source close to the presidential administration, does not rule out that the sudden arrest Khoroshavina - a demonstration of the determination of the security forces improve untouchable officials.

In the history of Khoroshavina arrest was important to demonstrate to the fight against corruption, said another source close to the Kremlin. The level at which commented on the event (application Bortnikov), said that the evidence was "iron". In this case, no one to stand up for Khoroshavina did not make sense, says the source. Especially since, according to him, the region has a lot of interested people who want to change the governor. The new head of the region should cater for all sides, he said.

Monitor the budget

Another version is the fact that influential lobbyists in Moscow did not allow early pereizbRania Khoroshavina, says another source of RBC, close to the Kremlin. According to him, among the stakeholders in the care of the governor first deputy prime minister and the Far Eastern envoy Yury Trutnev.

Interlocutor in the leadership of one of the state-owned companies also claimed that the care was interested Khoroshavina appointed ambassador in 2013 Trutnev. "He needs a man in the leadership of the region", - said the source RBK.

Press Secretary Timur Chernyshev Trutnev refused to comment.

And defenders of the governor is not found, the interlocutors noted RBC. President of "Rosneft" Igor Sechin, who was considered the patron Khoroshavina, they said, did not stand up for a protege and perhaps he would not be very pleased with the actions of the governor.

However, another RBC source close to the governor himself, said Horoshavin was a puppet of the former President of "Rosneft" Sergey Bogdanchikov (1998 to 2010), and for Sechin was just a figure that suits him.

Familiar Trutnev claims that the evidence of guilt have been Khoroshavinanly severe that for him, no one could stand up.

At the end of December 2014 Trutnev accused Sakhalin authorities that they are trying to hide the fact that the regional budget surplus. "This is the result of offshore projects under PSAs. And thank God - for that they were created. But now the fiscal capacity inhabitants of the region is the highest in the country. Residents of the area have to live in the United Arab Emirates. But coming here, I do not see, "- said Trutnev. According to him, the leaders of the region have to provide a program in which "money is not smeared, and performed a qualitative leap." Otherwise, "not excluded option of redistribution."

The budget of the region went to the oil rent, the governor of the ensuing criticism can be seen as a desire to put on the control of the cash flows of its people, says a leading researcher at the Center for Analysis of income and living standards of HSE Natalia Zubarevich. The budget of the Sakhalin region in 2014 increased by 63%, from 95 billion to 155 billion rubles., And found himself strongly in surplus, although the surplus in December fell 2 pfor, with 45 billion to 23 billion rubles .; income tax increased in 2014 by 2.3 times, from 36 billion to 86 billion rubles. - An increase of almost 50 billion rubles, the economist said..

The budget surplus has increased mainly due to growth in revenues from the profit tax on oil production from new fields, said the deputy director of the direction of public finances S & P Karen Vartapetov. According to him, demand from the newly affluent region of rapid results is not necessary. KhMAO YaNAO and invested in its infrastructure for decades, today it is they are better than the average in Russia - better roads, better provision of schools and kindergartens, repeat it for three years, is technically difficult on Sakhalin. The tax system is designed so that resource taxes are deposited mainly in the federal budget, but the income tax remains in the region, so Sakhalin appeared beneficiary of new deposits, says Vartapetov. According to him, to remove these revenues to the federal budget can be in the form of a transfer, but this is an exceptional case.

Sakhalin referred to as "Big Four" of oil and gas regions of Russia. In Khanty-Mansiysk District, Yamalo-Nenets District and the NAO is notavno gubernatorial elections were canceled. In time of crisis, the struggle for the oil and gas regions has intensified, a political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov believes.

Governors - persons involved in high-profile corruption cases

Nikolai Podgorny

The governor of the Vologda region from 1991 to March 1996 in November 1996, was arrested on charges of bribery, embezzlement, abuse of office. In 1998, Vologda court acquitted him on 19 of the 20 episodes and was sentenced to one year suspended prison sentence. In 1999, the Supreme Court canceled the verdict, Podgornov sentenced to seven years in prison. In 2000, he released under an amnesty.

Nikolai Sevryugin

The governor of the Tula region from 1991 to March 1997 shortly after the defeat in the gubernatorial elections of 1997 he was arrested on charges of taking bribes and misuse of budgetary funds. In 1999, she released on bail due to health conditions. In 2000, the trial suspended Sevryugin fell under the amnesty. He died in May 2002 in Tula.

Vladimir Platov
The governor of the Tver region from 1995 to 2003, the eve of the gubernatorial elections in 2003 (ranked fourth in the first round) against Platov has opened a criminal case on charges of abuse of office. In 2005, he sentenced to five years in prison. He died in Vladimir in 2012.

Vladimir Butov

The governor of the Nenets Autonomous District from 1996 to 2005 is declared on the wanted list during his tenure as governor of correspondence on charges of abuse of office. Later sentenced to three years' imprisonment for beating the traffic police.
Alexei Barinov

The governor of the Nenets Autonomous District from 2005 to 2006. In May 2006 he was arrested for fraud in July impeached. In 2007, acquitted of all charges, except one (assignment of apartments in Arkhangelsk), sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Vyacheslav Dudka

The governor of the Tula region from 2005 to July 2011. In September 2011 he was placed under house arrest on charges of receiving takenand. He was sentenced to 9.5 years of imprisonment. It located in the colony in the Tula region.