In Chelyabinsk the Election Campaign of United Russia is funded from abroad - 'Municipal scanner'

A week ago, the movement 'Golos' published a report on the Funding of Gubernatorial Election Campaign. It turned out that in some regions legal entities that are not entitled to finance the elections contributed to the election funds of incumbent governors (now – 'acting') representing the 'United Russia'.

While we are waiting for the Prosecutor's response to the current conflict of interests of Chelyabinsk Governor Boris Dubrovsky, we have decided to find out who supports the party list of 'United Russia' driven by him as the 'locomotive'.

A few days ago, the Chelyabinsk election commission published on its website the first report on parties' election funds - 'Information on the election funds and expenditure of electoral alliances running for the Election to Legislative Assembly of Chelyabinsk region of the sixth convocation'.

It follows that, as of August 24, 2015, 29 legal entities contributed to the regional branch of 'United Russia' with 28.3 million rubles, while each donation exceeded 25 thousand rubles. Moroever natural persons donated additional 12.67 million rubles, each donation exceeded 5 thousand rubles. Other donations constitute additional 45 million.

The total election campaign budget of the party has almost reached the ceiling with 86 million rubles as the limit is 90 million.

The report also refers to 7.1 million rubles that were paid back due to breach of financing terms:

• 450 thousand rubles – due to natural persons' - donors' failure of presenting necessary information (as it was done almost anonymously);
• 3.15 million rubles - due to exceeding the limit of donations made by natural persons;
• 3.5 million rubles – a donor - legal entity was registered less than a year before the Election Day was scheduled.

We have decided to identify the legal entities that have come to a decision to fund the team of Dubrovsky, representing 'United Russia'.

As it turned out, the company LLC 'Sinai', owned by the governor himself, has invested just 500,000 rubles - 0.58% of all the donations.

Moreover LLC SK 'Phoenix Grand Prix', OJSC 'CHELINDBANK', OJSC 'Chelyabinsk City Dairy Plant', LLC 'Ravis – Poultry Plant Sosnovskaya', OJSC 'CHELYABINVESTBANK' and LLC 'NovaStroy' have made some contributions, as they were awarded contracts with the government.

However, the most interesting is that foreign offshore companies contribute to the election campaign run by the 'United Russia' branch in Chelyabinsk. 

According to the report, the regional branch of the All-Russian political party 'United Russia' in Chelyabinsk has received financial support from a number of Russian commercial organizations, including such as:

• LLC 'Resurs' - 2,500,000 rubles;
• LLC 'Capital Invest' - 400,000 rubles;
• LLC 'UNIFROST' - 50,000 rubles;
• LLC 'UGC-Holding' - 3,000,000 rubles.

According to the data stored by the State Register of Legal Entities:

LLC 'Resurs' (TIN 7451326664) is 100% owned by a foreign legal entity - Isalca Management Ltd., registered in the Republic of Cyprus. The company is the owner of TLC 'South Ural', while its main beneficiaries are Sergei Kopev, Vadim Sachkov and the president of football club CSKA Yevgeny Giner.

LLC 'Capital Invest' (TIN 7451325678) is 100% owned by OJSC 'Chelyabenergosbyt'; in turn, 92.3% of which, according to its list of affiliated persons, as of 30 June 2015, is owned by a foreign legal entity - SV Property Management, registered in the Republic of Cyprus. The company is associated with the names of such businessmen as Yevgeniy Vaynsheynov and Sergey Vaynsheynov.

LLC 'UNIFROST' (TIN 5009048670) – 52% of its shares are owned by a foreign legal entity - limited liability company Aktiva Holdings BV, registered in the Netherlands. Another owner of 'UNIFROST' – the vice-speaker of the Chelyabinsk city council Ilya Mitelman, the son of the vice-speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Chelyabinsk region Semen Mitelman.

The persons who hide behind these offshore companies are not identified.

In addition, 'United Russia' benefits from indirect state funding: 50 % of the LLC 'UGC-Holding' (TIN 7451382644) is owned by FSUE 'Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Physics named after the Scientist E.I. Zababakhin'. In turn, FSUE is state-owned under the name of Ministry of Atomic Energy and Ministry of Property Relations of the Russian Federation. In addition, LLC 'UGK-Holding' was founded on 2 December 2014, less than 1 year before the Election Day was scheduled, that is also unacceptable.

All these cases refer to a direct violation of the Federal Law 'On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of citizens of the Russian Federation to participate in a referendum', as well as Chelyabinsk Regional Law 'On Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Chelyabinsk region'.

The total amount of illegal donations is 5,950,000 rubles.

According to the report issued by the election commission, all these donations were credited to the election account; as they were not indicated in the section of funds that were returned and the amount of illegal funds do not match with the one that has been returned.

In this regard, we have submitted a petition to the election commission of the Chelyabinsk region and the regional prosecutor asking for returning the illegally obtained money and to impose penalties to the regional branch of 'United Russia' under Article 5.18 of the Code of Administrative Offences (from 300,000 to 1 million rubles).

The Source: Anti-Corruption Initiative 'Municipal scanner'