Anna Politkovskaya: Kadyrov will never be president of Chechnya

In her interview today by telephone to the special correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot," Anna Politkovskaya commented on Ramzan Kadyrov's carrier prospects and the stormy construction activities unfolded in the restless Russian province on the eve of the jubilee of the Chechen Prime Minister. We remind you that on Thursday, October 5, Kadyrov reached his 30 years - the age, at which he may become president under the Chechen Constitution.

"Despite the universal beastliness, set up by journalists who went in plenty to lick now the known places in Tsentoroj and all our rest insane Russian VIP-managers, who found it a great honour to celebrate the 30-year jubilee of a certain individual premier of a tiny republic, I think that Kadyrov has poor prospects," Anna Politkovskaya spoke in a confident voice.

"I can't know whether Putin wants to appoint him president of Chechnya or not. But I think it will not be done for many reasons - I'll confine myself to this formula only." Ramzan Kadyrov himself, according to her words, "just lusts after" being officially appointed the head of Chechnya, "he is dreaming of it."

During the recent months, Chechnya has been scaling up the construction of various objects - schools, roads, houses, fountains. Some of them, in particular "Severny" Airport in Grozny, were solemnly opened right on Ramzan Kadyrov's birthday. During the construction of the most meaningful objects the premier declared that he was taking the process "under personal control."

"His "personal control" was expressed only through his forcing other people with arms and threats to pay for this construction, since it was not funded from the federal budget," Anna Politkovskaya stated.

"The main revenue item of Kadyrov's budget is making exactions from everyone whoever can be robbed. Not only businessmen, but, for instance, all the bureaucrats. The latter in Chechnya, like all over our country, are corrupted upside down. Each of these bureaucrats has to "tribute" huge sums of money out of illegal incomes. They made an estimate of how much he has stolen, and made him pay. I wouldn't give particular sums without papers in hand. As of today, I only have copies of applications lodged to the Prosecution Office by employees of the Ministry for Emergencies, who were indignant with being made to pay 13,000 roubles each out of their salaries, and this makes a major part of their salaries," Politkovskaya told.

"Among these exactions, there were such funny things like forcing the bureaucrats to visit all these idiotic concerts held in Gudermes with participation of our variety stars. Or, for example, to buy tickets to a beauty show. A bureaucrat was forced to buy two or three tickets at the price, some four times higher that the real one. And they are doing it. These "buyers" themselves told me - two deputy ministers," Politkovskaya, observer of the "Novaya Gazeta," had asserted.

According to Anna Politkovskaya, Kadyrov is trying to knock funds out of the federal budget to cover the expenses on the intensive construction, but the Finance Ministry of Russia objects, demanding to present project documentation and cost estimates on the objects to be built, "which are naturally absent in view of this hyper-construction": "Therefore, the dispute goes on, Ramzan already came to Moscow to Putin striving to get money without the documents, but failed."

The quality of newly-built objects is extremely low, Politkovskaya asserted. "Well, no quality at all," she had exclaimed inly, "Those who saw it know what sort of "quality" they have. As to myself, I'll never fly to Grozny Airport. Sorry, thank you. I'd better fly to some other airport."

If the construction is not finished on the date appointed by Kadyrov, then "measures are taken." "Of course, nothing is done to ordinary builders, but a lot - to the managers of the site. They are just kidnapped, forced and tortured. These facts are already known," Anna Politkovskaya marked.