MOSCOW, May 29 (RAPSI) - The Russian Audit Chamber has uncovered violations totaling 715.1 million rubles ($13.6 mln) at the Ministry of Agriculture for 2014, the agency reports Friday.

Specifically, an audit has revealed unreasonable subsidies of 325.7 million rubles ($6.2 mln) from the Agriculture Ministry to the Administrative Building Directorate to fund the renovation of a building without any confirmation of its completion.

Another violation has been recorded in procurement and fulfillment under the federal targeted investment program. According to the report, in 2013-2014, the Directorate for Land Melioration and Agricultural Water Supply in the Sakhalin Oblast (Samarameliovodkhoz) paid 370.2 million rubles ($7 mln) for the renovation of the Spasskaya irrigation system under a services contract with the company SPMU-Penetron. However, the Samara Regional Commercial Court ruled that the contract is invalid since the contractor provided a false bank guarantee. As a result, the contractor’s obligations to the project have not been completely fulfilled and the federal budget funds (63.1 million rubles, or $1.2 mln) remain in the company’s accounts.

The audit also found that the Ministry of Agriculture is not managing state property efficiently. “Russia’s ownership rights to 32,077 real estate properties (73.2%) and 3,987 plots of land (36.7%) are not registered,” the Audit Chamber reports.

Following the inspection, the Audit Chamber will send a note to the Ministry of Agriculture, a letter of advice to the Federal Antimonopoly Service and an inquiry to the Prosecutor General’s Service.