United grain company (UGC) collects more than 850 million RUB from ex-Director of his Pallasovsky Elevator, which may be associated with the theft of about 80 thousand tons of grain. The problem of theft of grain in Russia "is systemic", experts admit, but loss of this magnitude is extremely rare.

UGC (50% plus 1 share is owned by the state, the rest of the controls VTB) has addressed in Arbitration court of the Volgograd region with the statement for collecting 853,8 million rubles of damages from Evgeniya Gushchina, from filing cases. A third party to the dispute attracted by JSC "Pallasovsky Elevator", which manages the same company with the capacity of simultaneous storage of more than 140 thousand tons. Mr. Gushchin was the General Director of JSC in the years 2010-2019, it follows from the EGRUL. UGC owns 51% of the company, even 35,91% after Ruselco LLP controls international holding company Louis Dreyfus.

According to two sources, “b”, the UGC requires Evgeniya Gushchina damages for the missing grain, which was stored in Pallasovskiy Elevator during the period of his leadership. The company suspected that the goods were stolen, said one of the interlocutors “Kommersant”. The first meeting of the UGC on the suit is scheduled for July 14. The company declined to comment. Louis Dreyfus did not answer questions “b”.

According to the Director "Sovekon" Andrei Sizov, 850 million rubles equivalent to about 80 thousand tons of grain, which can be comparable to the average annual turnover of the Elevator. Cases of theft of grain in these volumes is very rare. For comparison, at the end of 2018 herself UGC reported an "unprecedented" theft of grain from the intervention Fund in the eagle when it was stolen more than 19 thousand tons. In the case of Pallasovsky Elevator speech is not about grain from the intervention Fund, and the product itself UGC.

Contact Eugene Goushchin “b” failed. According to an acquaintance of the top Manager, he is under arrest. On the website of the main Department of the MIA of Russia in Volgograd region reported about the investigation of criminal case concerning the Director of one of the elevators Pallasovsky district on suspicion of theft transferred to storage of grain. In a press-service of management to the questions “b” is not answered. JSC "Pallasovsky Elevator" with Jan is in the process of observation on the application of its own bankruptcy. The largest creditors of the cooperative Romashkovskiy debt 420,2 million rubles., the structure of the UGC "the UGC South" (102,5 mln.), trader "Grain-trade" (108 million rubles). In 2019 the company has received claims for 357 million rubles for breach of contract of storage of grain.

The recovery of damages from top-management is common in processes related to bankruptcy, said partner of the bar Association Pen & Paper Stanislav Danilov. According to him, the UGC will need to prove that the disappearance of grain and the fact that the CEO or his actions contributed to the loss, or not built internal control. Actual receipt of funds — the question of good faith of the defendant, and to predict the prospects is extremely difficult, especially because there is no public information about the seized property management, says the lawyer.

According to Andrei Sizov, cases where the grain just disappears, infrequent. More common elevators use grain that is not theirs, for commercial operations — sales at high prices in the expectation that in the future, for example after receipt of the harvest, will be able to replace it, having bought cheaper, says the expert.

The CEO of the Institute for agricultural market studies Dmitry Rylko emphasized that the problem of theft of grain in Russia "is systemic". According to him, the spread of the practice connected including with the fact that the country is still not installed on the authorized government or private organization, which imputed control over the activities of commercial grain elevators to store the grain customers. This system works today, for example, in the United States and Canada, said the expert. In his opinion, in Russia the introduction of its counterpart limits the possibility of abuse by the managers of the elevators.