Penza, 17 October 2013. PenzaNews. The verdict against six residents of Penza, including the former head of the federal tax service of Russia of the Leninsky district of the city Oleg Pantyukhin, who stole nearly 50 million rubles of state money by illegally VAT refunding, entered into legal force.

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“The court found that in 2005 Andrey Mashkov and the body, against who a separate criminal case was opened for he is on the wanted list, knowing the mechanism of VAT refunding, decided to steal money from the federal budget of the Russian Federation on an especially large scale. For that purpose they opened pseudo firms or worked with existing organizations, which were under their control. These companies took out loans for buying equipment, concluded fake contracts of sale, installation and transportation. Afterwards these organizations submitted VAT reimbursement claims,” the press secretary of the District Court Natalia Bychenkova told news agency “PenzaNews.”
She remarked that there were two members in this organized criminal group: the person on the wanted list and Andrey Mashkov, who searched for offices and got them equipped so that the firms under his control could conduct pseudo entrepreneurial activities.

The accomplices were Margarita Arkhipova, Ruslan Vinogradov, who was connected with the head of Federal tax agency’s inspectorate of Leninsky District in Penza Oleg Pantyukhin, Kirill Mashkov, Vladimir Kasimovsky as well as one more person, against who a separate criminal case was opened due to pre-trial immunity agreement signing. These persons were not members of the organized criminal group,” the agency interlocutor pointed out.

Natalia Bychenkova reminded that the court imposed penalty of imprisonment for 5,5 years to Andrey Mashkov and 6 years to Oleg Pantyukhin, other convicts drew suspended sentences.

“Lawsuit of the Deputy Prosecutor of the Penza region regarding money recovery from the convicts will be taken to court for consideration in civil proceedings,” she said.

According to the press secretary of the District Court, disagreeing with the decision of the Leninsky court in Penza, Andrey Mashkov, Vladimir Kasimovsky, Oleg Pantyukhin and their lawyers filed appeals, and the prosecutor filed a petition.

“The Penza District court concluded that the decision is lawful and reasonable. It entered into force,” Natalia Bychenkova summarized.