The largest tourist complex in Primorye is confiscated from the family of the ex-State Duma deputy Sopchuk, who was put on the wanted list

In Moscow, consideration of the suit of the Prosecutor General’s Office began, which requires the confiscation in favor of the state of the largest tourist complex in Primorye “Mayak”. The agency believes that the asset was secretly owned by State Duma deputy Sergei Sopchuk, who is accused of illegal business activities and money laundering. Sam Sopchuk announced on the international wanted list.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Sopchuk transferred the tourist complex to his sister Lyudmila Stukova, but he himself did not lose control over the enterprise. The authorities want to recover from both relatives the profit from the operation of the complex in the amount of 135 million rubles, writes “Kommersant”. Earlier, the court arrested Mayak, as well as the assets that Sopchuk and his sister indicated in their income declarations. Their cost was estimated at 38 billion rubles.

Representatives of Sopchuk say that the value of the seized assets far exceeds the amount of claims. According to them, Stukova received the tourist complex in 2008, when she worked in a branch of the territorial fund of compulsory medical insurance in Primorsky Krai. Sergei Sopchuk at that time was neither a State Duma deputy nor an official. “Mayak”, the cost of which is estimated at 1 billion rubles, temporarily stopped work.

Sergei Sopchuk is accused of illegally participating in the activities of a number of commercial structures from 1997 to 2021, holding various senior positions in the parliament and administration of Primorye, as well as being a State Duma deputy – Poltava Terminal LLC, River Port Administration LLC Nizhne-Leninskoe and others. Also, the legislator was the actual owner and head of Terney Zoloto LLC, which is developing a large gold deposit in the Primorsky Territory.

Earlier, the court confiscated the shares of Sopchuk and Stukova in Terney Zoloto LLC in favor of the state.

Having learned about the initiation of a criminal case, Sergei Sopchuk, whose term of deputy powers had expired by that time, left Russia.

In 2002-2006, Sopchuk headed the Legislative Assembly of the Primorsky Territory, worked as the first vice-governor of Primorye and was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In 2008, an assassination attempt was made on Sopchuk. Then he received two gunshot wounds. Shortly thereafter, he left the position of lieutenant governor.

Since 2011, Sopchuk again worked as a deputy, and two years later he headed the United Russia faction in the regional legislature. Elected later as a State Duma deputy, he headed the United Russia coordinating council for Primorye, Sakhalin and Yakutia.