The head of the FSUE department was fictitiously employed in the structure of Rosatom.

The Investigation Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation is investigating a criminal case of a particularly large bribe to the head of the department of investments and strategic development of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Rosmorport»Andrey Boldorev. According to investigators, he received it in the form of wages for fictitious employment at JSC First Mining Company (part of the Rosatom corporation). On September 13, the Dorogomilovsky District Court remanded him in custody until November 11, 2023.

Boldorev was charged with committing a crime under Part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale). If his guilt is proven, the Rosmorport employee faces up to 15 years in prison.

A source familiar with the progress of the investigation said that an agreement was concluded between Rosmorport and PGRK on interaction in the design of facilities provided for by the project of a mining and processing plant based on the Pavlovskoye lead-zinc ore deposit with a port complex (South Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago of the Arkhangelsk region ). The PGRK company is the discoverer of the Pavlovsk lead-zinc deposit.

For a long period, the company could not obtain approval for project documentation from Rosmorport, which prevented their further inclusion in the federal project “Northern Sea Route” and the subsequent implementation of the project. The investigation concluded that Boldorev had criminal intent to receive a bribe, since he had official authority to organize unhindered approval of the project. In addition, according to investigators, he was supposed to help develop the necessary documents. To do this, an employment agreement was concluded with him, under which Boldorev received from PGRK an amount of more than 1.6 million rubles. in the form of a salary, but investigators believe that the employment was fictitious. At the moment, a criminal investigation is underway under Part 5 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (giving a bribe) continues, the investigation needs to identify the persons involved in the conclusion of this agreement.

The source explained that the actions of Boldorev and unidentified persons from the PGRK entailed significant violations in the interests of society and the state protected by law due to the fact that the project documentation included the creation of a port complex with the mandatory implementation of work on the objects of navigation safety systems and engineering means to ensure transport security. At the same time, as the interlocutor clarified, at the time of approval of the project, these sections were developed incompletely, which poses a threat to the safety of navigation and can lead to man-made emergencies in the water area.

Lawyer Vasily Pyatykh, representing Boldorev’s defense, did not talk in detail about the progress of the investigation, but said that the chosen measure in the form of taking his client into custody was “completely unnecessary.” In the investigator’s petition for Boldorev’s arrest, formal arguments were given that the accused could escape and obstruct the investigation. “He has two minor children, is employed, has a stable income, does not have any foreign real estate or accounts – he has no intention of hiding,” the lawyer said. In addition, during the court hearing, the defense presented to the court numerous departmental awards from Boldorev, including from the head of the Ministry of Transport. Pyatykh also added that his client categorically does not admit guilt. “We will definitely appeal the court’s arrest decision,” he concluded.

A representative of the Rosmorport press service said that he did not have information about the detention of Andrei Boldorev, but confirmed his absence from work since September 11. “Information about Rosmorport’s interaction with investors, including PGRK, cannot be provided, as it constitutes a commercial secret,” he added. The representative of Atomredmetzoloto also said that he did not have information. “The Pavlovskoye project is in the development stage; work on it is not currently underway,” added a company representative.

The First Mining Company (PGRK) is part of Atomredmetzoloto. On the basis of the Pavlovsk lead-zinc deposit, the company plans to build a mining and processing plant and port infrastructure for shipping products to sea transport.

According to the license from Rosnedra, the deposit must be put into development no later than December 1, 2024, its development is permitted until December 31, 2040. Rosatom Special Representative for Arctic Affairs Vladimir Panov at SPIEF 2022 said that 61 billion rubles will be required to develop the deposit. investments. At the end of 2021, PGRK estimated the reserves of the Pavlovsky deposit for open-pit mining at 19 million tons of ore with a content of 3.3% zinc, 0.7% lead, 16 g per ton of silver. This is equivalent to 620,000 tons of zinc, 131,000 tons of lead and 9.4 million ounces of silver. Every year the mining and processing plant plans to produce up to 47,000 tons of lead and 223,000 tons of zinc concentrates.

Construction of the project infrastructure was supposed to begin in May 2022, but due to Western sanctions and the impossibility of supplying European equipment, the PGRK had to rework the project, construction work was moved to 2023 (see Vedomosti of April 18, 2023).

PGRK cooperates with Rosmorport (a federal state unitary enterprise subordinate to the Ministry of Transport, which builds and operates the state part of the port infrastructure) in terms of design and construction of a berth for this project. “When creating such infrastructure, the quay wall remains federal property, and everything on the ground remains the property of the investor. Accordingly, the project includes both the budget part and investor funds,” explained a source close to the company.