Firm involved in Defense Ministry misappropriations won Federal Tax service contract - newspaper
MOSCOW. Jan 16 (Interfax) - The Security and Communications firm, which was founded by Alexander Elkin, former general director of OAO Slavyanka, a Defense Ministry structure, and Andrei Lugansky, a suspect in the case, won a state contract with the Federal Tax Service for 270 million rubles, Izvestiya reported on Wednesday.
"The auction for the capital overhauling in six Moscow tax inspections was announced two weeks before the scandalous criminal case involving misappropriations in the Defense Ministry was opened on October 15, 2012. The value of the contract was 270.4 million rubles," the paper reported.
The envelopes were opened and the outcome of the tender for the capital overhauling of the buildings of Moscow tax inspections was announced on December 6, 2012, Kommersant reported.
According to the website zakupki.gov.ru, Security and Communications offered the lowest price (269 million rubles) and won the tender, Izvestiya reported.
The Federal Tax Service Department for Moscow has confirmed this information to the paper.
"Yes, it is indeed so. It's sad, of course, that the company has turned out to be involved in this scandal. However, we have never had any problems with them," Igor Kucherenko, an official with the Federal Tax Service Department for Moscow, who is in charge of state purchase contracts, said.
Kucherenko said Security and Communications had won tenders to do various construction work for the tax services before and proved to be a reliable partner.
"They work fast and well and they fulfill their obligations," he said.
In the meantime, Izvestiya has reported that Security and Communications is seeking more state contracts. On December 5, 2012, the company was allowed to take part in the tender for the provision of services in the sphere of comprehensive operation maintenance of the technical systems and service lines in the buildings of the Federal Tax Service Department for the Moscow region. The value of the contract is 15.3 million rubles, the paper reported.
On December 17, 2012, Security and Communications filed a bid to take part in a tender for the provision of technical maintenance services to the buildings of the Main Investigations Department of the Investigations Committee in Moscow. The value of the contract is 2.5 million rubles, Izvestiya reported.
The firm continues working on the contracts that were earlier signed with OAO Slavyanka and the Defense Ministry, Izvestiya reported.
According to earlier reports, law enforcement agencies learned about the misappropriation of 53 million rubles in state utility contracts or military city objects. According to the Interior Ministry, the Defense Ministry signed two contracts with OAO Slavyanka for the provision of technical services and sanitary services to the barracks and residential buildings worth some 63 billion rubles.