Organiser theft of rare books facing 15 years
Maria Bortnovskaya, Saint-Petersburg "
The Russian newspaper" - www.rg.ru
12/14/2011, 16:39
Well-known Russian collector Anatoly Borovkov will be judged for organizing a criminal group that engaged in theft of antique books and unique manuscripts of scientific libraries of Russia and CIS countries. As told to "RG" head "antique" State Criminal Investigation Department of the Interior Ministry control of Russia in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, police colonel Vladislav Kirillov, many of the stolen books Borovkov, do not hesitate to offer for sale at his Moscow gallery "Russian Avant-Garde 1910-1930 years" . Other - sold to private collectors.
At the moment the stolen manuscripts seized. Prosecuted under article 164 part 2, paragraph "a" of the Criminal Code (theft of items of particular value), which provides for punishment by imprisonment of up to 15 years.
Developed by law enforcement Borovkov scheme was referred to as a genius.
As a specialist in the field of rare second-hand books, who has knowledge of specific cultural and scientific value of a book (as well as information about their real value) organized criminal group participants pointed to specific editions, which were subsequently stolen. It could be an entire manuscript, as well as its individual fragments. An area in which the work group, was not confined to St. Petersburg. According to operational data, the performers went to the library and in Moscow, Tver, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Kiev, Kishinev and other cities. In each case, Borovkov reserve a reward for the stolen edition.
- In this ideological inspiration not only instructed his accomplices in detail about how to search and book a particular book, but also reassured by explaining that even if they're caught by the hand, then the actions regarded not only as disorderly conduct and damage to property of the library . They say that to anyone and would never call the police. By the way, and it turned out. Librarians often do not even know the cost of a book. Well, even if they see that someone spoils the book, pulling out the page, take a fine 500 rubles, a thousand ... And in fact, the cost of this fragment of the manuscript may be hundreds of thousands - said Vladislav Kirillov.
In fact, to gather evidence and find the defendants in the case of law enforcement officials took 19 months of hard work. Also installed the storage and handling stolen. According to law enforcement officers, the amount of damage from the activities of the "gang of book lovers," millions rubles.