Vasilyev Andrei

Biography

2022: Detention in bribery case

On November 24, 2022, the Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg sent under arrest the Deputy General Director of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums (SPbNIIVES) Andrei Vasiliev, who is suspected of taking a bribe of about 30 million rubles (part 6 of article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

According to the press service of the Main Investigation Department of the TFR in St. Petersburg, according to the investigation, the suspect, being the chairman of the unified procurement commission of SPbNIIVES, in the period from November 2018 to June 2020 received from the deputy general director of one of the commercial structures bribes totaling at least 30 million rubles for ensuring the victory of the commercial structure in the conclusion of a state contract in the amount of more than 150 million rubles.

The moment of detention of Andrei Vasiliev

As specified in the joint press service of the courts of St. Petersburg, Andrei Vasiliev received a bribe from the Deputy General Director of Stadium LLC for the company's victory in the purchase of an incubation chicken egg conducted by SPbNIIVES with an initial maximum contract price of almost 154 million rubles.

It is reported that during the searches, items and documents that are important for the criminal case were seized. Vasiliev did not admit his guilt.

In addition, searches were carried out at the general director of the Sinyavinskaya poultry farm, Artur Kholdoenko. In June 2021, the Governor of the Leningrad Region Alexander Drozdenko and the director of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums Viktor Trukhin during the SPIEF signed an agreement on the creation of egg production on the basis of the Research Institute for the creation of vaccines, including against influenza. It was reported that the volume of investments in the project will amount to more than 1.5 billion rubles.

St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums is engaged in the development and industrial production of vaccines against influenza, hepatitis, tuberculosis; anti-cancer drugs, antiseptics, for the treatment of skin disease, etc.^[1]

2024: Sentence - 9.5 years in prison for bribes

In early May 2024, the Moscow District Court of St. Petersburg sentenced Andrei Vasiliev, Deputy Director for Economics and Finance of the Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums of the FMBA of Russia (SPbNIIVES), to 9.5 years in prison. He was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (taking a bribe on an especially large scale, the maximum punishment is 15 years in prison).

According to the joint press service of the courts of St. Petersburg, Andrei Vasiliev will serve his sentence in a maximum security correctional colony. The court also appointed the ex-deputy director of the Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums a fine of 29.9 million rubles and forbade him to work in the civil service for 10 years after leaving prison. Vasiliev pleaded not guilty.

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According to the case file cited by RBC, Andrei Vasiliev as Deputy Director for Economics and Finance of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums of the FMBA of Russia from November 29, 2018 to June 11, 2020 illegally received money from the Deputy General Director of Stadium LLC totaling at least 30 million rubles. For this money, Vasiliev, according to investigators, provided Stadium LLC with a victory in the purchase of hatching chicken egg, carried out by the Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums with an initial and maximum contract price of 153.8 million rubles.

The Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums has developed the Convasel vaccine against the coronavirus COVID-19. The institute also produces full-cycle flu vaccines. FMBA conducted a planned audit in the field of combating corruption in St. PetersburgNIIVES. During it, violations in the conduct of financial and economic activities were revealed. For violations committed, the director of the scientific institution, Viktor Trukhin, was fired, and subsequently he was arrested.^[2]

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