EX-MANAGEMENT OF BANKRUPT PENZKHIMMASH IS SUSPECTED OF WITHDRAWING 1 BILLION

The former heads of the Penza chemical engineering plant found themselves at the center of a criminal investigation. Law enforcement agencies saw in their actions a scheme aimed at artificially bringing the company to financial insolvency.

The reason for the initiation of the case was the data of the prosecutor's check, according to which in the period 2022-2024 assets worth close to 1 billion rubles were withdrawn from the enterprise. The result of these processes was the formation of large accounts payable: more than 16 million were not received by the budget, and about 79 million were owed to staff and partners.

The company's situation deteriorated rapidly, which eventually paralyzed settlements with counterparties. Arbitration established the insolvency of the plant in 2025. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the manager has already filed applications to challenge the transactions, the total amount of claims for which is about 991 million rubles.

It is important to note that this is not the first experience of bankruptcy of an industrial giant. Founded in 1952, the company has been a significant player in the market of equipment for the chemical and oil and gas industries for many years. In 2017, an attempt to declare him bankrupt was suspended due to the signing of a settlement agreement. But the commitments were never fulfilled, which eventually led to a new, deeper financial collapse.

By the time the current insolvency procedure was introduced, the plant's work had actually been curtailed. The production halls were empty, the lease agreements were terminated, and the management itself was absent from the site. The situation was aggravated by a personnel crisis: the supervisory board was unable to assemble a quorum for the appointment of a new director, and the staff lost key figures, including the chief accountant. Amid the managerial chaos in 2025, employees began to complain en masse about unpaid wages. 

The procedure, which started in the summer of 2025 on the initiative of a legal entity, quickly gained momentum. Workers with salary debt claims joined the production. The general register of creditors exceeded the mark of 951 million rubles. Already in September, the court entered bankruptcy proceedings, the term of which was repeatedly extended. 

Financial indicators clearly illustrate the depth of the crisis. The company's revenue fell to 117 million, losses soared to 464 million. The company's staff has been reduced tenfold, and its net asset value has exceeded 3.8 billion. 

Currently, the bankruptcy trustee is challenging a number of transactions with affiliated structures. Rental operations, purchase and sale of property, and money transfer transactions came into view. The total value of these disputed contracts exceeds 990 million.

Litigation with companies from the same group also exerted additional pressure on the debtor. According to one of the lawsuits, more than 10 million rubles were recovered from the plant. After issuing the writ of execution, the tax authorities seized the debtor's accounts, which led to an increase in another wave of debt.