News date: 18 July 2018
On July 17, 2018 the National Police of Ukraine entered information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on the commission of a criminal offense envisaged by Article 364(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for abuse of official position while extending the airworthiness of An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft by the officials of the Federal Agency of Air Transport of the Russian Federation (Rosaviation) and the German company AMTES GmbH, being a part of Volga-Dnepr (Russia). This was reported by the press service of the well-known Ilyashev & Partners Law Firm, which defends the interests of the State Enterprise Antonov.
Following a complaint filed by the SE Antonov as a holder of the type certificate for this aircraft, the law enforcement agencies are investigating the fact of certification by Rosaviation of the AMTES GmbH as a developer of the An-124-100 aircraft modification and issuance of the Supplemental Type Certificate to replace the type design “Airworthiness support as related to the confirmation of aircraft life and useful lifetime” on the basis of forged documents.
The unlawful actions of Rosaviation and AMTES GmbH resulted in the extension of airworthiness for An-124-100 aircraft operated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines (RF), which jeopardized the safe operation of this aircraft.
“SE Antonov is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of the type design of the existing AN aircraft fleet throughout the entire period of its operation, – said Roman Marchenko, the Senior Partner of Ilyashev & Partners Law Firm. – The State Enterprise believes that no company in the world, except for Antonov, has proper experience in maintaining the airworthiness of an aircraft of this class under conditions of its intensive operation for a long time. We hope that all parties involved in the extension of Ruslans’ lifetime, bypassing the SE Antonov, will be prosecuted and put on the Interpol wanted list in the nearest future”.
The suspects are facing up to six years of imprisonment.