Former Russian Official Becomes S.Ossetian Finance Minister

Aleksey Panteleev, a former Russian official, was appointed as new finance minister in a recently revamped cabinet of breakaway South Ossetia, according to the breakaway region’s Press and Information Committee.

Although posts in the breakaway region’s cabinet were filled late last month, the post of finance minister remained vacant so far.

Panteleev, like newly appointed chief of South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity’s administration, Alexander Bolshakov, served in the local administration of the Russia’s Ulyanovsk Oblast in the Volga Federal District and was in charge of the Oblast’s finances. Bolshakov was the vice-governor of Ulyanovsk. Bolshakov appointed Lev Pavlyuchkov, a former aide to Ulyanovsk Governor, as his deputy in the breakaway region’s administration.

The Russian daily Kommersant reported on November 14, that all three former Russian officials had links with the Volga District-based industrial conglomerate, SOK, which is founded and owned by ethnic Ossetian, Yuri Kachmazov. The newspaper also suggested that these appointments, which were agreed with the Russian authorities, were made in order to better control the financial aid worth of 10 billion Russian rubles (over USD 300 million) allocated by Moscow for reconstruction works in the breakaway region.

A source from SOK told Kommersant that the conglomerate’s capacities “would be enough to implement large-scale construction works, involving residential buildings, highways and bridges.” “Our managers… will not let anyone to steal [assistance funds],” the Kommersant quoted the source.

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