Grass snakes could climb off the frying pan and, mouths agape, watch the deputies of the “State” “Duma” in admiration today. There, in the “commission for monitoring the accuracy of information on income, property, and property-related obligations submitted by State Duma deputies,” twisting and writhing today were both the deputies caught filing false declarations and the commission members themselves, who wanted to let their colleagues off the hook. In theory and under the law, the commission was supposed to examine indisputable facts: 1. United Russia deputy Neverov.
1. Cadastral number 50:08:050244:42, area 5,875 sq. m. Not declared. Registered to the “SOSNY Dacha Nonprofit Partnership,” but in actual use since at least 2011, as confirmed by a Google Inc. satellite map dated 11/05/2011, which shows buildings, paths, and a single enclosing fence. 2. Cadastral number 50:08:0050244:12, area 2,484 sq. m. Registered to Olga Viktorovna Neverova, the wife of Sergei Neverov. 3. Cadastral number 50:08:0050244:13, area 2,493 sq. m. Registered to S.I. Neverov. 4. Cadastral number 50:08:0050244:30, area 640 sq. m. Located in the middle of the plot, but still registered to former deputy Kosachev, even though a plot of the corresponding size is listed in Neverov’s declaration as owned by him. 5. Cadastral number 50:08:0050244:20, area 2,490 sq. m. The land plot and a house with an area of 614.3 sq. m are registered to Irma Andreyevna Vorozhishcheva, S.I. Neverov’s mother-in-law. 6. Cadastral number 50:08:0050244:53, area 23,760 sq. m. Not declared. Alleged bribe from LLC “Construction of Transport Networks”: currently in use, as confirmed by a photograph. 2. United Russia deputy Rudensky.
1. Cadastral No. 50:08:050244:41, area 2,996 sq. m. Not declared. Registered to the “SOSNY Dacha Nonprofit Partnership,” but in actual use since at least 2011, as confirmed by a Google Inc. satellite map dated 11/05/2011, which shows buildings, paths, and a single enclosing fence. 2. Cadastral No. 50:08:050244:33, area 8,213 sq. m. Registered to Rudensky I.N. himself. The total value of the 11,209 sq. m. of land is approximately 74 million rubles. As can be seen, construction of a huge house is underway on the plot (it has not been commissioned, so its area is not listed). 3. Cadastral No. 50:08:0050244:53, area 23,760 sq. m. Not declared. Alleged bribe from LLC “Construction of Transport Networks”: currently in use, as confirmed by a photograph. Well, everything is obvious here. If for plots No. 6 (Neverov) and No. 3 (Rudensky) they can still try to wriggle out of it, lie, and present them in this sort of declaration (which is what Neverov and Rudensky are planning to do), then over plots 1 (Neverov) and 1 (Rudensky) there is no point even arguing. In 2011 the plots were enclosed by a fence, which means these “servants of the people” were using and possessing them. The law unequivocally requires such property to be declared. Even the declaration form itself is structured that way:
By the way, Neverov himself did declare plot No. 4, which formally does not belong to him either. Nevertheless, the commission for letting people off the hook decided that the most important thing was purchase-and-sale agreements. Here are a few live-tweet reports from journalists who were at the meeting. They make everything clear:
This is wonderful, questions for the mother-in-law:
Lovely. What coordinated teamwork. - if you live there but it’s not registered to you, then there are no questions. - the mother-in-law bought it, ask her. - we’re not dealing with anyone’s personal life here. - thank you all for your work. That’s the State Duma for you, whose deputies recently raised their own salaries from 160,000 to 250,000 rubles. No wonder—they’re under such stress: people keep pestering them about their dachas. The most interesting part of this meeting for the ACF (Anti-Corruption Foundation) was the remarkable admission by Neverov and Rudensky that they are subleasing plots from businessman Shustenko—the very plots over which we accuse them of taking a bribe. And they brought the sublease agreements with them. Guess how much they got land for whose market value is between $20,000 and $50,000 per sotka (100 square meters). Neverov subleases 23 sotkas (2,300 sq. m) for 30,000 rubles a year. Rudensky subleases 23 sotkas (2,300 sq. m) for 28,000 rubles a year. These astonishing prices did not bother former FSB director and commission chairman Kovalyov in the slightest. On the contrary:
Officials often acquire things at non-commercial prices. At last, a brilliant turn of phrase has been found. Instead of all that crude talk about “bribes,” “kickbacks,” and so on. “Acquired at a non-commercial price.” Beautiful, elegant, and leaves no questions. All right. Let me say the obvious once again: this Duma should be dissolved; it is disgracing the country. ACF will keep digging into this case, so stay tuned. And I would ask everyone to help us reach people—those who are troubled by the phrase “acquired at a non-commercial price.” 1. Share the link http://dacha.fbk.info/ wherever you can 2. Retweet this tweet:
3. We made a short video about how wonderfully our paraglider soared over the United Russia dachas—please help spread it too:
Every new citizen who sees the true life of these “simple miners” and “modest civil servants” is a small victory for us. Don’t be lazy—they’ve already signed over half the country to themselves “at a non-commercial price.”