Head of Buzuluk Electric Grid Company Receives 2.5 Years for Eight Bribes

From 2018 to 2024, the defendant regularly took money – personally and through intermediaries – from local entrepreneurs. For remuneration, he helped merchants to underestimate the volume of electricity consumed, and also provided them with general patronage. The total amount of illegal payments exceeded 3 million rubles.

As part of the investigation, at the request of the investigator, the property of the accused was seized - its value amounted to more than 18 million rubles. That is, we are talking not only about bribes worth 3 million, but also about a state that clearly exceeds official income.

There's two things. The first is the duration of the scheme: six years, eight episodes, regular payments. This is not a one-off corruption, but a built system in which intermediaries and local entrepreneurs participated. The second is the economic effect: an understatement of consumption means that the company received less money, and in fact, all other consumers, since tariffs and balance are formed from the overall picture. That is, merchants saved at the expense of other subscribers. And a separate point is the seizure of property worth 18 million: it shows that the investigation assessed the scale not only by the amount of bribes, but also by assets that could be purchased with illegal income.

Do you think that 2.5 years of strict security is enough for eight episodes of bribery, or should such cases end with more serious terms?