During a recent search of the Piket group of companies office, investigators recovered cash as part of an ongoing probe into the supply of substandard bulletproof vests to the Russian armed forces. The disclosure comes from a law enforcement source cited by RIA Novosti. The broader case centers on how protective gear intended for state use was procured and delivered, and it has prompted closer scrutiny of the processes that govern defense contracts, including internal controls, oversight, and financial handling within the organization.
According to the report, the company was led by a single founder and chief executive, Andrei Esipov, who stands as the defendant in the case. The narrative around Esipov places him at the apex of the organization’s leadership during the period when the alleged irregularities occurred, and his role is a focal point in the allegations of mismanagement and fraud associated with the procurement of protective equipment for military use.
Officials emphasized that the Moscow Basmanny District Court granted permission to seize the finances belonging to Piket, as part of the fraud investigation. The court action reflects a broader pattern of financial measures intended to preserve assets while investigators pursue a complex web of transactions tied to the government contract, including payments, invoicing, and supplier relations that are under examination by the authorities.
Recently, one of the co-defendants in the criminal proceedings related to the supply of substandard bulletproof vests admitted guilt. The confession marks a significant development in the case and signals potential cooperation with investigators, though the identity of the individual was not disclosed at the time of the report. This admission adds a new layer to the evolving legal narrative surrounding the contract and the parties involved in the alleged scheme.
The confession’s author remained unnamed. The case groups together three top executives: the company’s general director Andrei Esipov, the head of security Mikhail Kalchenko, and the financial director Victoria Antonova. Collectively they face charges of large-scale fraud under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code, a section that covers aggravated fraud and the misuse of entrusted funds. The legal framing underscores the severity of the allegations and the potential penalties that could follow if a court finds the defendants guilty on all counts.
Investigators allege that funds allocated by the Ministry of Defense for a government contract for protective gear were diverted by Piket employees. Rather than delivering high-grade bulletproof vests, the firm allegedly supplied no fewer than twenty thousand items that failed to meet the contract’s specifications, resulting in damages estimated at no less than 2.4 billion rubles. The scale of the alleged losses has prompted questions about contract management, supplier reliability, and the compliance safeguards in place to prevent substandard products from entering service with the military.
Earlier moves included the seizure of assets belonging to the defendant’s spouse in connection with the bulletproof vest case, illustrating the breadth of asset-tracing measures being deployed as part of the investigation. The sequence of actions demonstrates the intensity of the legal and financial scrutiny surrounding the matter and highlights the persistent effort by authorities to track gains and concealment across the corporate structure involved in the procurement.