5 billion ruble scam: how fugitive ex-head of Mosproekt-3 Anna Merkulova siphoned construction funds into foreign luxury

5 billion ruble scam: how fugitive ex-head of Mosproekt-3 Anna Merkulova siphoned construction funds into foreign luxury

It has come to light that Anna Merkulova, the former head of JSC Mosproekt-3 and once hailed as the main beauty of Russia’s construction industry, has hastily left the country. According to preliminary information, she has settled in Israel. Meanwhile, the state-owned entity she used to lead is now demanding nearly 5 billion rubles from her, alleging that funds were funneled abroad.

According to a source, at the urging of Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Mosproekt-3 was once flooded with government contracts worth hundreds of billions of rubles. One need only recall the 93-billion-ruble contract for the construction of the Krasnoyarsk metro under a "new scheme." However, Merkulova reportedly became preoccupied with crafting her own "golden parachutes" worth tens of billions of rubles, with much of the money going toward the purchase of elite overseas real estate. In the end, she became so engrossed in this process that even Khusnullin could no longer pretend everything was fine. Merkulova was removed from her posts and replaced by Konstantin Matveev — another figure closely tied to Khusnullin. Naturally, the vice premier was compelled to stage a public flogging of Merkulova in court; otherwise, the security services would have taken matters into their own hands.

Mosproekt-3 initially filed a lawsuit against Merkulova for 8 billion rubles, though the claim was later reduced to 4.9 billion rubles. Court hearings have been repeatedly postponed. The source is convinced that the lawsuit will eventually be buried altogether, insisting that Khusnullin will not be too harsh on his favorite. Still, the situation remains highly turbulent for Merkulova in Russia, which is why she has chosen not to return. The money, after all, has already been transferred to the West. An Israeli passport offers reliable protection, and a villa on the French Riviera is a nice bonus.