The Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia (GP), in connection with the revealed violations of the privatization of the property of the Bashkir Soda Company (BSK), filed a claim with the Arbitration Court of Bashkortostan to recover the property from illegal possession. This is stated in the comments of the official representative of the supervisory agency, Andrei Ivanov, who arrived at Izvestia on August 28.
The lawsuit was filed “in order to protect the interests of the state.”
It is noted that, on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the State Enterprise checked the legality of the alienation of state shares in the soda industry enterprises in Bashkiria. The inspection revealed violations of the legislation on privatization. “The transfer of rights to the named property complexes was made against the will of the Russian Federation,” the message says.
The materials of the check on the facts of abuse were sent to the Investigative Committee of Russia to consider the issue of initiating a criminal case against officials of regional authorities.
Earlier, on August 26, Putin instructed the Russian government and the leadership of the Republic of Bashkortostan to sort out the situation with the Bashkir Soda Company (BSC) and the withdrawal of money to offshore companies.
The Russian leader also instructed the prosecutor’s office to figure out how legitimate the deal was, due to which the state lost control over the assets of the enterprise.
On the same day, the Prosecutor General’s Office began to check the deal, which led to the loss of state control over the BSK.
A year ago, the Bashkir Raw Materials Company, which is associated with the Bashkir Soda Company, received a license to develop the mountain (shikhan) Kushtau for a period of 20 years. Public figures and scientists asked the head of the region, Radiy Khabirov, to cancel the decision, but he stated that it is impossible to stop strategic production and leave thousands of employees unemployed.
After that, environmentalists and local residents set up a camp at the foot of the mountain, preventing the start of its development. In August, 22 anti-limestone activists were detained by law enforcement officials.
Later Khabirov announced the suspension of the development of the shihan. On August 21 it became known that Kushtau will be given the status of a natural monument, the soda company will not develop it.