Press Release, 14.12.2020

The Yabloko Anti-Corruption Committee in the Altai Republic made a decision to include Oleg Kuligin, head of the Ust-Koksinsky district, in the list of nominees for the Golden Toilet Brush anti-award for the purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 luxury car for the needs of the district administration.

“The Altai Republic is a subsidised region with a huge mass of unresolved social problems, but officials shamelessly purchase expensive cars and other luxury goods for their needs,” said Nina Dumnova, Yabloko’s Chair in the Altai Republic.

“In civilized countries, such leaders would not be allowed to come close to power. And what about our country? Wherever you go – everywhere there are rogues and villians. If one governor-bribe-taker is enjailed, and his place is immediately taken by the same one. A question emerges: why? Because how we elect our officials determines how we live. Lawlessness, corruption, arbitrariness have acquired such a large scale that it is possible to cope with this only if there is a political will, which the leader of our country currently lacks,”the leader of the regional branch of Yabloko added.

Nomination to the anti-prize is open. Officials, institutions and companies that receive money from the budget and spend it on their own support can become nominees. To suggest an anti-hero, any Russian citizen can fill out the form. All purchases are published on the website www.zakupki.gov.ru, where one can look for nominees. The more absurd and wasteful the purchase is, the more likely it is that an official will receive his/her anti-prize.

The Golden Toilet Brush was launched by the St.Petersburg Youth Yabloko organization in 2008. Valentina Matvienko, then Governor of St.Petersburg, received the first award after purchasing toilet brushes for the city Administration at the price of 12,794 roubles per piece.

The first award was received by Valentina Matvienko, then Governor of St.Petersburg, after purchasing toilet brushes for the administration at the price of 12,794 rubles apiece. winning of rewards.

Over the years, dozens of federal and regional officials, including Viktor Zolotov, head of the Russian Guard, Vladimir Medinsky, Minister of Culture (2012-2020), Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov have won plastic brushes of elite colours.

The competition also takes into account articles published in the regional media and Internet publications, devoted to the acquisition of expensive cars by regional and municipal officials at the state expense.

Photo from the official website of the government of the Altai Republic.