MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - The Russian Investigative Committee has confirmed that a criminal case was opened regarding Energia Rocket and Space Corporation Head Vitaly Lopota.
"The case has been opened under Russian Criminal Code Article 201 Part 1 [abuse of office]," Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.
According to the investigation, in 2010 Lopota "performing managerial functions at OJSC Energia gave instructions to the management of the subsidiary Experimental Engineering Plant LLC to extend loans to two companies involved in the Sea Launch commercial project."
"The funds should have been used as advance payments under agreements for the manufacture of manned spacecraft in the framework of state and other contracts," Markin said.
"The loans were extended to affiliated organizations at terms disadvantageous for OJSC Energia," he said.
"Thus Lopota's abuse of power contrary to the interests of Energia OJSC caused significant damage to the interests of the state owning 38% in OJSC Energia in the form of loss in an amount exceeding 41 million rubles," Markin said.
"The necessary investigative steps are being taken aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the committed offense," he said.
The investigation of the case continues.
Earlier on Wednesday Izvestia reported that the Investigative Committee division for the Central Federal District had launched a criminal case against Lopota under Article 201 of the Criminal Code (abuse of power by an individual performing managerial functions at a commercial or other institution to the detriment of the lawful institutions of the establishment).
At the Investigative Committee the newspaper was told that the resolution on launching a case against Lopota was signed on April 14 and Lopota was duly notified but no measure of restraint was chosen with regard to him.
Izvestia sources added that the criminal case was based on materials submitted to the Investigative Committee by the Federal Security Service (FSB) last November.
The newspaper said that FSB launched its probe after the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) supplied it with the findings of a mixed working group that in spring 2013 audited Energia at orders from Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. The main subject of the probe was the Sea Launch project funded by Energia subsidiaries.
At the present moment Sea Launch is a loss-making project, the daily says. Its debts exceed $400 million and the Energia management was forced "to fix the hole". One of such transactions formed the core of the criminal case launched against Lopota, Izvestia said.
In the opinion of FSB officers, the aforementioned scheme contained signs of a crime defined in Article 201 of the Criminal Code. Now the Investigative Committee has agreed with the arguments of FSB.
Izvestia failed to obtain any comments from Lopota.