9 March 1999
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Tatspirtprom Under Investigation
On 9 March a commission from Tatarstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs held a meeting on the results of an investigation of Tatspirtprom, the major alcohol producer in Tatarstan. According to the prosecutor of the Kazan's Privolzhsky district, Farit Zagidullin, the lawyers of Tatspirtprom conspired to swindle at least 30 million rubles from the company, "and the guilty will have to stand trial." Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov will join the commission when it meets in Mamadish.
TV Company Chief Survives Assassination Attempt In Challi
On 8 March the director of the Efir-Invest television company in Challi, Yevgeny Capustin, was taken to the Republican Clinical Center in Kazan for rehabilitation after being injured when a bomb blew up near his car four days earlier. Efir TV in Kazan said Capustin was severely injured by the explosion, which occurred near Efir-Invest's office block in Challi. He is in stable condition but doctors say his life is still in danger. Tatarstan's minister of internal affairs, Asgat Saffarov, listed four possible motives for the attempted murder and said he is taking personal control of the investigation.
Left-Wing Organizations Registering In Tatarstan
Tatarstan's branch of the Russian Partia Mira I Yedinstva (Party of Peace and Unity), headed by Sazhi Umalatov, has been registered by the republican Ministry of Justice. Local branches of the party were established in 27 regions of Tatarstan, as required by republican legislation, and 35 members have been enlisted, Tatarinform reports. The agency said this was the third radical left-wing party registered in Tatarstan this year. Recently, the Communist Party of Tatarstan, led by Aleksandr Saliy, obtained the status of a political organization, which allows it to run for elective offices in the republic.
Pensions Being Paid Late -- And Even Later In Rural Regions
The average delay for pension payments in Tatarstan's rural regions is two months, Tatarinform reports. In the Apas and Mamadish regions, pensions were last paid in November -- making the pensioners there the most owed retirees in the republic. The total amount of unpaid pensions in Tatarstan is more than 110 million rubles.
Compiled by Iskender Nurmi