Former head of Voznesenskaya village in Ingushetia detained on suspicion of involvement in fraud for one billion rubles

Akhmed Chergizov, the former head of the village of Voznesenskaya of the Malgobek District of Ingushetia, was detained within the investigation into the criminal case on embezzling 1 billion roubles from the budget. According to investigators, he was a member of a criminal grouping of 12 persons, and he was involved in a fraud to obtain certificates, allocated to the republic's residents, affected by disaster.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported that in Moscow, a group of senior staff members of the Moscow real estate companies was detained on the case of embezzling 1 billion roubles, allocated for the restoration of housing of citizens of Ingushetia, affected by the disaster of November 2011.

At that time, Ismail Aushev, a suspected leader of the group, was detained during a special operation, held in Ingushetia. In total, six persons were detained in the case, and more six persons were put on the federal and international wanted lists.

Investigators believe that the members of the group compiled false lists of persons, affected by landslides in the Nazran, Malgobek, and Sunzha Districts. They executed certificates on one-, two-and three-room apartments for the persons, affected by the disaster. Depending on the amount of the certificate, the victims of the disaster received 100,000-300,000 roubles and issued powers of attorney to the right of disposition of the certificates to members of the criminal grouping.

The scheme was implemented in 2007-2009. The Republic's Ministry of Finance has issued 109 certificates for loss of housing for the total amount of 873.6 million roubles. This was reported on October 19 by the "Kommersant" with reference to Radik Gafurov, Deputy Chief of the Investigatory Division of the Chief Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD).

In accordance with the federal programme, a housing certificate could be cashed almost on the entire territory of the Russian Federation, and the members of the group purchased apartments mainly in Moscow. Later, they sold the apartments. On those facts, the criminal cases were instituted under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud on a large scale) and Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (creation of a criminal grouping).

Akhmed Chergizov, the former head of the village of Voznesenskaya, was brought to the temporary detention facility in the city of Pyatigorsk. Prosecutors will insist on the arrest of the detainee, the "Life News" reports with reference to a source in the investigatory agencies.