Chechnya reveals half-million-worth embezzlement of maternity capital

The Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya has instituted criminal cases against a head of a trade and construction company and several of his accomplices, suspected of embezzlement and fraudulent certificates for maternity capital. According to the prosecutors, the total amount of damage caused by the actions of the suspects is estimated at half a million roubles.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was reported by the Chechen law enforcement agencies that the investigation into the fact of fraudulent certificates for maternity capital was initiated against Adam Suleimanov, the director of the trade and construction company "Avangard", several weeks ago, when several women, residents of the mountainous Nozhai-Yurt District, filed complaints to the prosecutor's office. The women reported the theft of maternity capital.

"The prosecutor's investigation revealed that in November 2010, Adam Suleimanov, the director of the trade and construction company "Avangard", seized several state certificates for maternity capital, which, according to the complainants, were lost by them. Later, Adam Suleimanov prepared false documents on the basis of that certificates, and, with the help of several accomplices, he stole funds amounting to half a million roubles, allocated for government support of large families," said a representative of the Chechen law enforcement agencies.

The representative of the Bar of Chechnya, who preferred to remain anonymous, made comments on the situation to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent and expressed an opinion that, apparently, Adam Suleimanov and the women-complainants had concluded a tacit collusion; since today, according to the source, maternity certificates are actively purchased in Chechnya.

"There are several companies and a lot of individuals, who buy certificates for maternity capital for 190-200 roubles. In many cases, women are offered to give their certificates for maternity capital and promised that after some time later, usually in two-three months, they would be given at their hands the amounts of 250-300 thousand roubles; and many women agree to that offers. Actually, frauds simply cash the certificates and bestow the money, while the women get nothing," says the lawyer.

According to the lawyer, complaints to the law enforcement agencies hardly help in such cases. "I know many cases where complainants were threatened that criminal proceedings would be instituted against themselves and not against frauds, since women had no right to sell their certificates. And now, to somehow get out of this situation, the women say that they lost the certificates and the frauds simply took advantage of other people's certificates. The problem with manipulations with certificates for maternity capital is very serious, and it requires urgent attention of the law enforcement agencies," believes the source.