The Oktyabrsky District Court of Novosibirsk is hearing the case of Dmitry Olenikov, the former director of the municipal Water Sports Center (WSC), who is accused of large-scale embezzlement and bribery. Olenikov, who has been in pre-trial detention for over a year, denies the charges.

According to investigators, Olenikov allegedly leased a commercial pool using budget funds, but instead of making it available for young athletes, he allowed businessmen to organize paid classes. In return, he is accused of receiving bribes over several years.

The case involves businesswoman Lyubov Kotova, who ran a commercial children’s swimming school called “Fidget Dolphin”. In 2020, Olenikov offered Kotova a pool to rent for a significantly lower price than the average market rate, with the condition that the money be given to him personally.

Investigators discovered that the WSC leased the pool from LLC “Betoinvest” for 6.8 million rubles from 2020 to 2023, but the municipal center’s athletes did not train there. Olenikov is also accused of receiving 1.4 million rubles from Kotova during the same period.

Kotova wrote a confession and was apparently released from liability for giving bribes. Her husband, Valery Kotov, Honored Coach of Russia, was sentenced to 5 years of suspended imprisonment for mediation.

The scheme was uncovered by the Control and Accounting Chamber during an audit of the WSC’s activities. Olenikov’s lawyer argues that the accusations are not specific and lack clarity regarding the ownership of the embezzled funds and the details of the alleged bribes. The trial is expected to delve into the details of training young swimmers, pool rentals, and the relationships between Olenikov and the involved businessmen.