The winner of the anti-award will be determined by Internet voting

Press Release, 24.12.2019

Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Policy Centre has identified nominees for the annual anti-award for “wasting the budget” via public procurement contracts. The list of nominees of 2019 includes the Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky for bidding on behalf of the Ministry of Culture for a contract for provision of services and organisation of screening of the documentary “I ought my millions to their work…” in Switzerland, as well as Public Prosecutor General Yury Chaika for purchasing golf cars for 3 million roubles for the Public Prosecutor General’s Office.

In addition to Medinsky and Chaika, the list of nominees for the anti-prize include: Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu – for a secret banquet for 6 million roubles, Chairman of the Gazprom Board – for the purchase of Mercedes-Benz cars for 100 million roubles, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev – for the purchase of watches, chainsaws, vacuum cleaners and other equipment for “formation of a gift fund” for 7.5 million roubles.

Also the following regional officials will compete for the Golden Toilet Brush in the regional nomination: Governor of the Ryazan Region Nikolay Lyubimov, who organised the All-Russian Festival “New Year’s Capital” for 10 million roubles, when Father Frost failed to light the Christmas tree, because it did not have a garland; Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin for the purchase of 941 km of border stones for 3 billion roubles; as well as Governor of Yakutia Aisen Nikolayev for the purchase of services for 19 elite foreign cars for trips to Moscow.

They will compete with  Governor of the Volgograd Region Andrei Bocharov (nominated for the purchase of a military field tent worth 6.5 million roubles) and head of the Nadym district of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Leonid Dyachenko (who made an unsuccessful attempt to destroy two portraits of Dmitry Medvedev at the expense of taxpayers).

The officials are nominated for wasteful procurement of their departments. Russian citizens can vote for the nominees and read the details on the anti-award page. Voting will continue until 15 January.

The Golden Toilet Brush anti-award was invented by the Youth Yabloko branch in St. Petersburg in 2008. The first prize was awarded to Valentina Matvienko, St.Petersburg Governor in 2003-2011, for the purchase of toilet brushes for the administration at a price of 12,794 roubles a piece. Viktor Zolotov, head of the Russian Guard, won the Golden Toilet Brush in 2018. He received a prize for overstating food prices for the Russian Guard by 1 billion roubles (according to the FBK fund). The regional Golden Toilet Brush prize was awared to Governor of the Tver region Igor Ruden for the purchase of a camera at the cost of 1.83 million roubles.