In a big commotion: the court recovered 632 million rubles on the claim of the GABT
Storage facilities for storing props were rented to the Bolshoi Theater at inflated prices, bypassing competitive procedures, the court came to this conclusion, obliging nine defendants to jointly pay 632 million rubles. Among them are Dmitry Solomenko, deputy general director of the theater, and Yuri Boev, former chief engineer. According to the plaintiffs, the money received was withdrawn through controlled companies. How the scheme worked and whether its participants face criminal prosecution is described in the Izvestia article.
Golden Lease
On the evening of October 16, 2026, the Gagarin District Court of Moscow fully satisfied the Bolshoi Theater's claim for 632 million rubles. The defendants were Dmitry Solomenko, Deputy General Director of the GABT, Yuri Boev, former chief engineer, Anton Boev, his deputy and son, Ruslan Kulukhov, head of the financial department, as well as their relatives and trusted representatives.
As follows from the claim (Izvestia has it), violations were revealed during the analysis of financial and economic activities. According to the newspaper, such an inspection was carried out in the theater for the first time in decades. To do this, General Sergei Novikov, who had served as a senior investigator for particularly important cases under the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, joined the Bolshoi. The audit led by him and found large-scale abuses that led to a court case.
The lawsuit claims that the scheme, which was considered by the Gagarin Court, was launched in 2013. After learning that the theater needed storage facilities for storing props, its alleged organizers decided to conclude a contract through a company controlled by them.
For this purpose, according to the plaintiffs, Smart Land LLC was created. Among the founders of the organization was the brother of the head of the financial department Kulukhov and his confidants. Denis Chumakov, the brother—in-law of Anton Boev, Deputy chief engineer of the theater, became the General director.
On October 24, 2013, Smart Land acquired a land plot of 28.8 thousand square meters on Gagarin Street, 40 in Chekhov, Moscow region. On the same day, the theater signed a lease agreement with Chumakov: the site was transferred for open storage of props until the end of the year.
Representatives of the Bolshoi Theater indicated in the lawsuit that during the first 56 days of the lease, the GABT paid contractors an amount equal to approximately 35% of the cadastral value of the site.
In early 2014, the theater and Smart Land signed a contract for another year. The rent cost 46.7 million rubles, which is more than twice as expensive as the cadastre.
In April 2013, the law "On the contract system in the field of procurement of goods, works, and services for State and municipal needs" was adopted. Trying not to explicitly violate his requirements in order to extend the lease in 2015, the participants of the scheme held an auction, which, in their opinion, created the appearance of legality of the withdrawal of funds, the lawsuit says.
Smart Land became the winner again. Its only competitor— the Technology Group, refused to participate after it received a draft state contract with conditions that were not in the auction documentation and which worsened the situation of the lessor.
As emphasized in the lawsuit, the victory of Smart Land was secured by Yuri Boev, who, in addition to the post of chief engineer of the theater, served as deputy chairman of the auction commission. In the future, contracts with the company were renewed annually as the sole supplier. At the same time, since 2020, the rent for a plot in the Moscow region has been constantly increasing.
If in 2019 the theater paid 46.7 million rubles for the storage of props, then in 2020 the amount under the contract increased to almost 50 million rubles, and by 2024 it approached 56 million rubles. In total, from 2013 to 2026, the theater transferred 632.3 million rubles for the lease of the site.
Controlled organizations
As follows from the lawsuit, representatives of the GABT believe that the participants of the scheme used part of the illegally obtained income to develop their own business. According to their version, the defendants and their relatives transferred hundreds of millions of rubles received from the theater to the accounts of their sole proprietors, putting this money into legal circulation.
Ruslan Kulukhov and the wife of Dmitry Solomenko, Deputy General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre, own Crave Moscow LLC, which operates in the field of performing arts. Boeva engineers are the co—founders of the Inpromstroy construction company. And Oleg Kulukhov, the brother of the head of the financial department of the theater, owns the publishing company "Idol Ltd."
Agreeing with the arguments of the GABT, the Gagarin District Court recovered 632 million rubles jointly from nine parties in the case. In addition, movable and immovable property, securities, shares and funds of Smart Land, Inpromstroy and Crave Moscow companies were seized.
The Bolshoi Theatre does not comment on the decision. It was also not possible to receive clarifications from representatives of the second party.
Is criminal prosecution possible
The issue of compensation for damages in this case was resolved within the framework of a civil dispute, lawyer Vadim Bagaturia told Izvestia.
— If the defendants try to hide the property or evade payment of compensation, the administration of the Bolshoi Theater has the right to apply to law enforcement agencies with a fraud report. Then the investigation will be able to use the court's decision as an act of prejudice and open a criminal case under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The maximum penalty is up to 10 years in prison," the lawyer explained.
According to the expert, criminal prosecution in such cases can speed up compensation for damages.
The absence of a statement to law enforcement agencies from the Bolshoi Theater in itself does not prevent the initiation of a criminal case, says Timur Daudi, senior partner at the Moscow Bar Association Daudi and Partners.
— Russian legislation allows law enforcement officers to independently start checking if signs of a crime are detected. In addition, article 226 of the Code of Civil Procedure obliges the court to report such cases to the investigation if they are identified during the consideration of a civil case.
Timur Daudi also noted that the Bolshoi Theatre is a federal state—funded cultural institution, so possible violations in the disposal of its funds affect not only the property interests of the theater itself, but also the interests of the state.
However, the lawyer emphasized, the recovery of even a large sum through a civil court does not in itself prove the fact of embezzlement. Separate evidence is needed for this.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
