Press Release, 23.05.2017

Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Policy Centre suspects that Natalia Poklonskaya, deputy of the State Duma, has not declared a car in her income tax statement, and also conceals her husband’s property and income. Sergei Mitrokhin, head of the Centre sent a letter to the Public Prosecutor General demanding to check the Poklonskaya’s statements.

Photo: Nikolai Yanaki and Natalia Poklonskaya

Lawyers of the Centre found out with the help of open data, that Poklonskaya had not paid a penalty for her transport tax. The penalties had been charged by the inspection of the tax service in Simferopol, Crimea. This indicates that Poklonskaya has owned or still owns a car. Since she did not give information on a car in her income statement, the party’s lawyers believe that she could have concealed the data about the car.

In addition, Poklonskaya admits that she is married, but refuses to give her spouse’s name. It may be that her spouse is Nikolai Yanaki, ex-Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Government. Internet media Meduza writes that they are often seen together, and Poklonskaya was treated from depression in the dolphinarium of Yanaki for a week. If MP Poklonskaya is really married, she must specify the property and income of her husband in the statement.

Nikolai Yanaki was Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Government until August 2016, when the head of the Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, signed his statement of resignation at his own request.

A year before the dismissal, Yanaki was mentioned in connection with several corruption scandals. Thus, according to the press, his mother on the decision of head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov got 2,067 sq. m of farmland in her property in the Belogorsky district of Crimea. There were also reports of Yanaki’s interest in privatizing the health spa “Moscow” in Yalta.

Apparently, Yanaki combined his job as an official with business. Thus, until June 2015, he was listed as the founder of OOO Limen Valley (Tax Ref. No 9103003698). On this occasion, Poklonskaya, as the prosecutor of the Crimea, received a request to check these data. It is still unknown whether Poklonskaya took measures to resolve the conflict of interests and if Yanaki was really her husband.

The Anti-Corruption Centre believes that the Public Prosecutor General’s Office should check all these data for corruption.

“If it turns out that she really hid possession of a car and did not provide information about the spouse’s income, she faces an early termination of the deputy’s powers. If violations of the law are confirmed, the Prosecutor General’s Office should initiate a check in the commission in the Duma,” Alexei Karnaukhov, deputy head of the Centre, noted.

Head of the Centre Sergei Mitrokhin also stressed that his appeal to the Public Prosecutor’s Office is connected with Poklonskaya’s latest charges against Transparency International and [Alexei Navalny’s] Anti-Corruption Fund.

“When I heard about her invectives, I immediately asked my colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Policy Centre to examine the income statements of this “saint”, who accused all around her in mortal sins. Is she such a sinless woman herself?” Mitrokhin said.

Mitrokhin also sent an official demand to the State Duma so conduct a check on the income statements of Poklonskaya.