Judge Elena Guchenkova convicted Rauf and Raul Arashukov. Taking into account the “extraordinary danger to society of the Arashukovs”, the court did not find the possibility of imposing any sentence other than life imprisonment.
The implementation part of the decision, where the court will determine the final sentence for the other defendants in the case, will be announced later.
The case was heard by a jury. On September 23, they admitted the Arashukovs’ guilt as proven. The board also found the former actor guilty of joining an organized crime syndicate. Head of the Department of the KRC Investigative Committee, Major General of Justice Kazbek Bulatov, and Timur Betuganov, former head of the KCC Center for the fight against extremism, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The head of the jury noted that the defendants in the case did not deserve tolerance.
In early December, prosecutor Maria Semenenko requested a life sentence for the Arashukovs and a prison sentence of five to 24 years for the other defendants.
Why “highest measure”
Former Senator Rauf Arashukov was detained on January 30, 2019, at a meeting of the Federation Council with the participation of then Prosecutor General Yury Chaika and head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin. Later, Raul Arashukov, one of Gazprom’s regional branches, and other defendants in the case were detained. In April of the same year, Bulatov and Betuganov were detained, accused of organizing contract killings.
The investigation shows that the organized crime group, which includes the Arashukovs and the heads of Gazprom’s regional branches, has been operating on the territory of the North Caucasus Federal District for about 17 years. Being the creator of a criminal organization, Arashukov Sr. gradually appointed his relatives to leading positions in the industry, and then they took actions to steal gas, either independently or on his orders. In connection with his impact on the industry, Arashukov Sr. took the nickname. “Gas King”. Initially, the Arashukovs were accused of embezzlement of about 31 billion rubles. As a result, the investigation managed to prove the theft of only 4.4 billion rubles.
In September 2022, the jury found the Arashukovs guilty of organizing the murder of Aslan Zhukov, deputy head of the KChR’s Adyghe Khase people’s youth movement, and Fral Shebzukhov, an adviser to the president of the republic, and beating a witness. Murder of Zhukov. The lawsuit states that the former senator pressured Bulatov and Betuganov to hide their crimes.
how was the gas
Investigation, Arashukov Sr. He found that persons appointed by Gazprom structures to steal “extra” gas and sell it to companies and individuals, after securing contracts for the supply of gas in inflated volumes to enterprises in the North Caucasus. for cash. They also supplied gas to non-existent consumers, according to the researchers.
In this regard, the deputy of the Stavropol Regional Duma Viktor Goncharov said that in 2015 two glass factories in KChR suddenly found themselves in gas debt of one billion rubles. In connection with the trials, the production did not work for a year.
“At all levels, I asked the question, when gas meters are installed in the factory, they record volumes, how can gas worth a billion rubles be stolen? But Arashukov later proved that the factories were stolen. Probably, this is just the plan of the thieves, ”
said the deputy.
In connection with the gas theft, the investigation also dealt with the head of Gazprom’s subsidiaries in Maykop and Astrakhan, Ruslan, nephew of Raul Arashukov, Guzer Khashukaev, the former head of the division in Cherkessk, and Nikolai Romanov and Igor, the heads of the branch in Stavropol. Travinov. According to UK materials at the beginning of 2019, together they stole fuel from Gazprom for 31 billion rubles. – at prices that year, the Russian Federation supplied the same amount to Hungary.
Gas has become a luxury
In July 2021, the Moscow Basmanny Court seized the Arashukovs’ property in favor of the state in the amount of 1.3 billion rubles, following the case of the Prosecutor General’s Office. The defendants’ family reportedly owned 75 properties, including the three-story Adiyuh Palace Hotel with a restaurant and hammam complex. In addition, three apartments, nine residences, seven plots of land, 14 cars (Porsche, Mercedes, Lexus and others) and luxury goods were transferred to the state.
Initially, the Attorney General’s claim concerned that the family’s expenditure on real estate, cars, and other luxury items significantly exceeded their official earnings. The case noted that Arashukov Sr., who from 2007 to 2017 worked in various structures of Gazprom and as a people’s deputy of the KChR parliament, earned 66 million rubles. Arashukov Jr. earned 15.7 million rubles, according to the prosecutor’s office, as a minister and vice-president of the KChR government from 2009 to 2018 and a senator of the Federation Council. But about 1.5 billion rubles were spent on “luxury items” during active labor activities. For example, on the balance sheet of the Arashukovs and people connected with them (relatives, drivers, security guards) there were about 90 cars.
last word
At the meeting on December 6, the Arashukovs made their final speeches. They denied the charges and urged the court to give a fair decision.
“You know very well that there is and cannot be any evidence of our guilt in the case. We ask you to make a legal decision. In this case, sooner or later a fair decision will be made. But I ask you to make this decision, namely you, ”the former senator turned to Judge Guchenkova.
Arashukov Sr. followed him, declaring his innocence in all matters. He also claimed that there was not a single witness in the case who would testify against him.
“I didn’t commit a crime, I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t order anyone, especially my son, I didn’t steal gas. The Attorney General accused us nicely,” he said.
– said.
Kazbek Bulatov stated that Judge Guchenkova knew the contents of the case well, but suggested that pressure could be applied to her.
“If you are free to decide, I have no doubt what decision will be, if you are not free, my speech will not change anything. That’s why I want to end it here,” he concluded.
At the same time, Guchenkova extended the detention of the defendants in the pre-trial detention center until April 7, 2023. Guzer Khashukaev, the former director of the Mineralovodsky District branch of OOO Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol, will be under house arrest until the same time.