ST. PETERSBURG, June 1 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – A case against CEO of Techcomservice firm Andrey Yeresko charged with legalization of stolen helicopter units and details worth about 20 million rubles (about $290,000) has reached court, the United press service of St. Petersburg courts has told RAPSI.

Yeresko will go on trial along with CEO of Petrokon company Marina Karabanova. The defendants also stand accused of tax refund fraud during export of aircraft units.

According to case papers, the companies were engaged in sale and purchase of the aviation technologies. Yeresko illegally bought the used air components, repaired them and sold to foreign contractors. Thus, in October, he illegally acquired two on-stream swash plates, repaired them and sold to the Polish WXL-1 S.A. basing on a contract and goods export declaration. Later, Karabanova and he organized illegal VAT refunds on these deals amountin to 4.5 million rubles.

In March 2018, Yeresko and ex-employee of the Russian Interior Ministry’s Internal Troops HQ Alexander Koloskov were convicted and sentenced to 3 years in jail each for stealing aircraft components valued at 9 million rubles ($130,000 at the current exchange rate).

According to case documents, in late 2011, Koloskov conspired with Yeresko to steal nearly 3,700 aircraft components from a military base. The court found that 52 out of 56 components were declared non-repairable because of Yeresko’s actions. Koloskov classified those as scrap and as a result 13 functioning components were no longer regarded as military property and were nearly sold as scrap metal.