A Moscow municipal lawmaker has accused officials of corruption after discovering a contract price written in disappearing ink.
Cheryomushki District councillor Yelena Selkova posted a video of herself holding a lighter next to the contract. Within seconds, the 2.6 million ruble ($37,500) figure can be seen vanishing from the paper.
“Let’s check the price,” Communist Party member Selkova said in the video, referring to the contract for an elevator replacement at a local apartment complex. “And it’s gone.”
Selkova said she got hold of the contract because she was chosen to replace a sitting ruling party lawmaker who had gone on sick leave.
The disappearing ink revelation, she suggested, means that the price could later be raised and the difference pocketed by corrupt officials.
“I won't even mention that by the time I arrived, all the acts had already been signed by everyone except me (before the commission started!)” Selkova wrote.
“Why do residents need independent municipal deputies not from [pro-Kremlin ruling party] United Russia? At least to reduce corruption in capital repairs!” she wrote.
In an interview with the Moskovskaya Gazeta outlet, Selkova said she’ll send a complaint to prosecutors but added that the chances of anyone being punished for the alleged fix were low.
“They’ll likely forward my complaint to the same capital repair fund I’m complaining about,” she said Sunday.
“The fund will likely say that they got the wrong pen or the ink was bad and they don’t understand how that happened.”
Asked how she figured out how to check the ink, Selkova credited a WhatsApp group of her colleagues from other districts who encountered similar issues with disappearing ink.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
