Pipeline Parasites. How Money Is Siphoned Off at Transneft.
Text version
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At the end of 2009,
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the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean pipeline system
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was commissioned. It was a
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grand-scale project, effectively
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a national project that, well,
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was built under the direct
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supervision of President and Prime Minister
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Putin. It is the largest such
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post-Soviet pipeline project in
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Russia.
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The Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean pipeline
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is intended to deliver Russian
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oil to the markets of the United States and
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the Asia-Pacific region.
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The planned length is more than 4,000
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km. The project operator is the company
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Transneft. On December 28, 2009, the
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first stage of the oil pipeline was launched.
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Construction costs have already exceeded
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$15 billion.
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We obtained official
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documents titled “materials
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provided at the request of the Accounts
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Chamber.” Back in 2008, the Accounts Chamber
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of the Russian Federation audited the company
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Transneft and inspected this construction project.
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However, the results of the audit were
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classified and never made public. These are not
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just some papers of ours, not some kind of
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analytical speculation. These are entirely
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official documents provided by
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Transneft. They are certified
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by the signatures of numerous officials
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from Transneft, auditors, and so
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on. When I and other shareholders of
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Transneft read this report,
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our hair stood on end. What it says here
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is, in essence, that billions of dollars
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were stolen—plainly stolen—during
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the implementation of this remarkable
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national project.
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Across 154 pages, there are dozens of violations. In
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broad outline, the theft scheme was
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as follows: to carry out the work,
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Transneft signed contracts with
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contractors. In each contract,
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the cost of the work was inflated by an average of
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27%. At the same time, not one of the contractors
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was actually capable of carrying out
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this work. Some of the contracting
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organizations were offshore
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companies with a staff of one
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employee. Some were specially
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created on the eve of signing the contract,
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some of them using forged documents.
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At that time, Transneft was headed
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by Mr. Semyon Vainshtok. If
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you think that Vainshtok is now
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in prison, in the dock, on trial,
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under investigation, and so on, you are deeply
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mistaken.
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I have a proposal. I would like
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to ask you to lead the work on
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creating, and then to head the
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state corporation for preparations
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for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
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Thank you for your trust.
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I
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can, so to speak, leave with a light heart
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Transneft, because it is a stable and
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solidly established company.
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We have every reason to assert that
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the political cover for this corruption,
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this theft, and this embezzlement
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was provided personally by Prime Minister Putin,
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who decided to transfer
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Vainshtok to the Olympics instead of
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sending him to the pretrial detention center
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Matrosskaya Tishina (a well-known Moscow detention center).
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I have prepared
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a submission to the President of the Russian
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Federation on awarding Semyon Mikhailovich
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an honor for his work in the corporation and for all
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his previous work.
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Don’t be sad,
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smile as we part.
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Remember these days, remember,
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wish us well.
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wishes
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and wish us all a new meeting.
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