In a shady deal, four Russian supersonic MiG-31 jets have been sold for less than $5 each. The fraud happened at the “Sokol” military plant, not far from Nizhny Novgorod city.
According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, from October 2006 to July 2007 unknown officials from the Federal State Reserve Agency sold four planes MiG-31 from the plant to a false company called Metalsnab, which had no rights to trade arms or military equipment.
Each of the planes, sold without engines and armament, was estimated at a price of 153 Russian rubles, or less than $5.
According to prosecutors, the real price of the MiG-31 plane fuselage stands at more than $3 million.
At the moment, it is unclear where the planes found their new home, as well as who the swindlers were.
Prosecutors say that the fraud was revealed during a prosecutors’ check at the plant, and by now all materials have been sent to investigators.
Meanwhile, the Sokol plant press service has announced that no planes have disappeared from its premises.
”Sokol has nothing to do with the deal,” said the head of the press service, Igor Chernichenko. “Fuselages are standing in our workshops as they did before.”