Audit Chamber finds violations in execution of state contracts for cultural heritage preservation

© изображение сгенерировал ИИ

The Ministry of Culture has violated several regulations while executing state contracts for the preservation of cultural heritage sites, according to an audit by the Accounts Chamber.

In 2022-2025, the Ministry of Culture signed 839 state contracts for work on cultural heritage preservation projects, with a total cost of 66.2 billion rubles.

The audit revealed that most of the contracts lacked specific requirements for contractors to perform their obligations independently without subcontracting. Subcontractors were often hired on a non-competitive basis and lacked sufficient resources and expertise, leading to contractual obligations not being fulfilled. No legal action was taken against these subcontractors.

Additionally, the Ministry allowed increases in the cost and duration of contract work, as well as advance payments. It also resulted in the loss of state property (cultural heritage objects) and caused material damage to the state amounting to 148.5 million rubles.

Following the audit, the Ministry of Culture received recommendations from the Accounts Chamber to take measures to rectify the violations, including recovering excess advance payments and paying penalties for non-performance of contractual obligations.