Press Release, 3.06.2021

Photo: Businessman Igor Chaika. /Photo by Ramil Sitdikov, RIA Novosti

The Public Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia got acquainted with the investigation of the “garbage business” of the sons of ex Public Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, but did not find any facts of violation of the law, follows from the answer of S. Parshina, Assistant to Public Prosecutor General of Russia. The Yabloko Anti-Corruption Policy Centre sent an inquiry to the Public Prosecutor General’s Office following a joint investigation by Novaya Gazeta, the 7×7 journal and Transparency International (the latter is entered by the Ministry of Justice into the register of foreign agents).

In the response of the Public Prosecutor General’s Office runs that the investigation of the media about the sons of ex Public Prosecutor General whose names and data are encoded in the Register of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography as ЛСДУЗ and ЙФЯУ9. What business of the sons of Yury Chaika, whose names are encoded, run “does not contain facts of violation of the law”. The Assistant to the Public Prosecutor General calls the statement on the signs of corruption sent by Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Centre “an appeal for disagreement with the actions of officials”.

Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Centre lawyers note that Igor Chaika owns one of the largest garbage operators in Russia – the Khartia (Charter) company. The company won a competition for garbage collection in the Yaroslavl region when Dmitry Stepanenko became Chair of the government of the region. The official is a former neighbour of Chaika in an elite village near Moscow. In addition, Igor Chaika’s wife Olga has a joint wine business with the ex-wife of the regional public prosecutor.

Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Centre believes that it was due to friendly ties with local officials that Igor Chaika’s company could get a contract for garbage collection until 2026 worth 16 billion roubles. The authorities rejected the second application for the competition. After that, the chief of staff of the regional government, Yury Valdeyev, moved to the post of Deputy Director of Chaika’s company.

The Anti-Corruption Centre appealed the administrative order against the answer of the Assistant to the Public Prosecutor General.