Farewell to war
The echo of the murder of Ded Hasan has remained yet. All sinuosity related to his funeral was the subject of intense media attention: transportation of the body to Georgia, and the Georgian government’s ban to accept the flight, and landing in Donetsk, and personal consultations of Ukrainian oligarch Renat Akhmetov with the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Donetsk, and the return of the coffin to Moscow, and the funeral of Aslan Usoyan finally held on January 21 at the Khovanskoye Cemetery in Moscow.
There were not many people - about 200, only really close friends. However, there were some incidents: friends and relatives of the deceased whack some Moscow paparazzi in the faces. The attitude of law enforcement agencies to the event and some current consequences, which has begun, seems to be very interesting. Let's look at the headlines of the interviews with the staff of UFSIN in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region: “It is always sad when a man is killed”, “God gives a certain time-limit to everyone”, and “He wasn’t lucky and left prison at the wrong time”. As they say, no comments.
The first flashes of criminal war were also reflected in the media: in Sukhum, the audacious murder of kingpin Astamur Gulia (Astik Sukhumsky) considered as Ded Hasan’s enemy was committed. However, some experts believe that there can’t be a full-scale gangster battle. Firstly, the Yezidi Kurd Usoyan wasn’t a Chechen or Georgian. Secondly, he was too “upright” as it is possible for criminal authority. He would have avenged for a friend. But “it is time of scoundrels now” - in all structures and communities.
Acid and bribes
The second theme, which has become the subject of considerable discussion in the media, is the brutal attack on the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater Sergey Filin. Unknown persons splashed sulfuric acid onto his face. All aspects have been discussed: business dismantling, revenge for actors' failures, and etc. An alternative version, not related to the professional activities of Sergey Filin, has also appeared. It is possible that a motive of the murder is jealousy, some of the commentators believe, not denying the artistic merits of the victim.
The fight with corruption continues. Its center again has moved to Moscow and its level went down.
The head of the council of the metropolitan area north Medvedkovo Mikhail Mikhailov was arrested on charges of taking a bribe of 3.5 million rubles. The detention of the 55-year-old officer was made in his office by officers of the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department in the North-Eastern Administrative District at the moment when he was receiving 3.5 million rubles. According to the investigation, Mikhailov received a large sum for the assistance to a commercial structure to ensure winning a tender in the sphere of housing and communal services. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has already made the decision to dismiss the head of the council – “for failure to prevent and resolve conflicts of interests, of which he is party”. According to the Criminal Code, Mikhailov can face up to 12 years in prison and a large fine.
By the way, even recently, in October 2012, the district council of Northern Medvedkovo was in the center of the scandal. Then subordinates of Mikhail Mikhailov beat up journalists of Russia One Channel who came to make a report about loss of the money collected for the “people's garage”.
The day before another major Moscow official was arrested in Italy - the former prefect of the Northern Administrative District Yury Khardikov previously declared in the international search. He was dismissed from his post in 2008 for failure of the program of overhaul and preparing for the winter heating season. Later Khardikov was suspected of stealing one billion rubles, and a criminal case on fraud was opened.
Judge in English
And finally, the last. Perhaps, the most important. And traditionally the least commented. To get legal protection in Russia, an offshore company must disclose information about itself, the panel of judges of the Supreme Arbitration Court decided.
Briefly the essence of the case is that.
The condominium requires returning of the non-residential premises of 976 square meters from illegal possession by Artex Corporation (registered in the Dominican Republic) - they were obtained into ownership by KOMEKS Company even before the completion of the construction. In 2008, the inhabitants of the house proved in court that the premises were of public use (a children's room, garage, economic unit), and therefore could not be transferred to the KOMEKS. But the company had changed the titles and characteristics of the premises, and then sold them to Artex.
When the condominium addressed with the claim to Artex, the Dominican company responded that she had bought not those premises, which the residents considered of public use. Courts of three instances refused the claim of the tenants, not finding a successful lawsuit against KOMEKS prejudicial, because Artex owned other facilities, not of public use. The executive director of the condominium Maria Artyukova says that KOMEKS simply did not fulfill court decisions: it didn’t let bailiffs in and didn’t pay utility bills. Three judges, who considered the supervising complaint of the Moscow condominium Skakovaya, 5 suggested to the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court (SAC) to make a precedent decision.
The judges of SAC didn’t agree with the position of the lower courts. Not to take into account the decisions of the courts against KOMEKS, it needed to verify that KOMEKS and Artex were not connected with each other. It is said in the decision of January 9 that registration of rights to premises in an offshore company is not a violation, but it can’t lead, even unintentionally, to infringement of interests of the third parties. It is difficult to get information about an offshore company. Therefore, the judge decided that Artex must to prove the absence of links with KOMEKS.
In the court decision, the judges give recommendations on how the proposed mechanism must work. To let a rule to come into force, the information must be relevant to application by Russian law (for example, the question of affiliation). Offshore companies must disclose who actually is behind them, i.e. their ultimate beneficiaries. Refusal to disclose such information, together with registration of the property in an offshore company, will mean that the foreign companies is used for the abuse of the law, and such interest are not subject to judicial protection, the judge state.
If the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court support the panel of judges, the SAC will establish universal rules of evidence for offshore companies involved in trials in Russia, the partner of Taxadvisor Dmitry Kostalgin summarizes. These requirements are similar to the rules of English proceedings, where the court may render a decision against the company, concealing evidence.
Aslan Usoyan is, of course, a legend of the Russian underworld. No wonder that large mass-media became interested with him in the mid-nineties. In particular, they wrote about his detention in 1995 in Sochi where he supervised a meeting of 350 participants. Meeting was dispersed. However, there was nothing unlawful in the meeting — authorities were going to celebrate the anniversary of death of thief-in-law Rantik Safaryan and to discuss the issues. Having kind of a feeling of the end of the meeting nobody took weapon and drugs.
In 1996 Usoyan was detained in Petersburg on suspicion in the murder organisation. It happened after in the beginning of 1996 a series of the gangland killings with numerous murders swept across the North Caucasus. In particular the Ministry of Internal Affairs received the operative information that one of the largest Russian criminal authorities Aslan Usoyan was involved to the murder made in Pyatigorsk.
Together with Hasan the driver — four times loser George Avdushev was detained. Subsequently it was found out that Avdushev was the assistant to the vice-president of legislative assembly of St.-Petersburg deputy Victor Novoselov. He was released. Besides, police detained three more persons — two Assyrians and the Georgian which Grandpa Hasan for some reason named as the relatives. During a search at Hasan’s place the TT pistol loaded with eight cartridges was found and at one of the "relatives" — pump-action shotgun. All four were sent to predetention center.
Police operation was not ended up. Investigators departed to Moscow where they conducted a search in Hasan’s hired apartment. There it was withdrawn about 2 kg of jewels, $380 thousand by cash and documents of the various commercial structures controlled by Hasan or created by him. Under the assumption of police in Usoyan’s house the pooled cash fund of the group was stored.
Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" № 91 (1049), 6/1/1996
Extremely interesting relation between Usoyan and the largest in the country fuel company "Lukoil" was noted by journalists in 1998. In criminal environment Bogomolov Gennady Semenovich is a "thief-in-law", criminal nickname "Bolomol". Supervises activity of fuel company "Lukoil" under "commission" of the Tyumen criminal structures; he got acquainted with their management during his stay in “Lukoil’s” capital Kogalym where he was living after he served a sentence in Corrective Labor Establishment in Labytnangy.
Source: «Compromat.ru», 1998
But in court his case was broken up and soon Hasan was released.
In January, 1998 Aslan Usoyan again got to sphere of journalistic interest in connection with large police detention in Shakhty city (Rostov region). Employees of local Management on Organized Crime dispersed a meeting of 96 criminal "authorities" which gathered from the whole Russia and from the CIS countries. One of the most influential "thieves- in-law" 61-year-old Aslan Usoyan was organizer of the meeting. Thieves from Republic Komi, Stavropol territory, Moscow and Moscow Region, St.-Petersburg, Armenia, Kemerovo region, Tatarstan, Krasnodar area, Alania, Tver, Nizhniy Novgorod, Volgograd, Chernigov, Kirov and Sverdlovsk areas sent their representatives to this meeting. The greatest number, about 20 persons, was presented by Moscow delegation. A receiving party was presented by four Rostov "thieves-in-law": Brick, Edic Red, Grachenok and White. 69-year-old Stavropol "authority" known under a nickname Kosoy was the most elderly among gathered. In total from 20 regions of the country there arrived 96 persons, 50 from which were crowned "thieve-in-law".
According to employees of MOC in agenda of the meeting there was an issue of relations between Hasan and some other "thieves-in-law". They were dissatisfied with activity of Hasan paying a lot of attention to business recently and wished to deprive him of his thief' dignity. Then Hasan arranged meeting which should support him and at the same time punish dissatisfied ones.
Almost everyone including Hasan was released Bidding farewell to police old "thief-in-law" said that "after such greeting he would never set foot on the Don’s ground".
Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" № 2 (1405), 1/14/1998
One interesting circumstance of that thieves' meeting also attracts attention: there was "thief-in-law" Matvey Iliadi (Pilidi) who was living in Greece for a long time and was a coordinator of activity of Russian-speaking groups in Eastern and Central Europe.
Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" № 27 (1430), 2/18/1998
A bit later journalists informed about serious positions that Usoyan obtained in 1994 in Nizhniy Novgorod. It happened after thief-in-law Pavel Zaharov (Cirul) was seized. Thief Zachary Kalashov (Shakro-junior) was Usoyan’s partner in the control over informal business of this region.
However fast enough these positions reeled because of pressure of local police.
Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" № 134 (1537), 7/25/1998
Next time mass-media became interested in Usoyan again in connection with the thieves’ meeting dispersed by police. This time events happened in Odessa, in the territory of Ukraine. More than 120 persons participated in the meeting. "Thieves-in-law" and "authorities" came here from all CIS countries to decide how to live in a period of crisis, and also to reconcile two famous leaders of the criminal world Rudolf Aganov and Hasan Usoyan (Grandpa Hasan). Probably, therefore the delegation from Russia was one of the most representative on a meeting.
The majority of "thieves-in-law” and among them there were such known leaders of the criminal environment as Usoyan, Pipia and Vagin as usually was released — they did not have even drugs. However, they were forced to get out of the city. They were said to be followed by local police to the airport and railway station.
The gangster meeting organized by the oldest Russian "thief-in-law" Usoyan supposed to conciliate him with not less authoritative Rudolf Aganov. Last accused Grandpa Hasan of waste of thieves' pooled cash fund and last year achieved his decrowning. The conflict between authorities took a giant scope. Actually, as the investigators say, all criminal Russia broke up to supporters and enemies of Grandpa Hasan.
Trying to get back a rank and posts at the same time Hasan (he supervised South of Russia) arranged three meetings — in Rostov region, Ekaterinburg and Tashkent. But all of them were dispersed by police. It was not possible to make it even now as well. First, from 300 invited thieves only 40 arrived, and secondly, police again interfered.
Also in agenda of the meeting there was also an issue of financial crisis. Gangsters put money of the pooled cash fund in state credit obligations and kept it in deposits of the banks many of which became bankrupts.
Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" № 167 (1570), 9/10/1998
Next time journalists remembered Aslan Usoyan in connection with murder in Moscow of Petersburg criminal authority Konstantin Yakovlev (Kostya Tomb) who was in close confidential relations with Usoyan. 48-year-old Konstantin Yakovlev and the 27-year-old idle inhabitant of Leningrad region Denis Tsarev (according to some information, the assistant to the deputy of the State Duma Mikhail Zadornov) died on May, 25th, 2003 in Moscow after their car was shot. The car driver 52-year-old Muscovite S.Chikov also died of his wounds, one more passenger - the 30-year-old inhabitant of Petersburg was hospitalized in a grave condition with wound of the left shoulder and a forearm.
Journalists noticed that dead Yakovlev was closely connected to Moscow thief nicknamed "Grandpa Hasan". In the mid-nineties Moscow thieves repeatedly offered Tomb a position of supervisor in Petersburg and, on hearings, even crowning. But he diplomatically refused, managing thus not to offend the gang but, in every possible way underlining that he "did not wish to be involved to criminal environment".
It was possible to consider Tomb’s position really unique. He was named as Petersburg "supervisor" of Moscow thieves, the person of governor Yakovlev and Berezovsky's authorized representative helping to the disgraced oligarch to create business in Petersburg.
Officially Konstantin Karolyevich was a president of TV Development fund but, on hearings, the sphere of his influence included almost all electronic mass-media working on decimeter television channels.
Source: www.fontanka.ru, 5/26/2003
Usoyan was told to notice young Kostya when that transported antiques from Caucasus to Peter as courier, from well-known authority and the future leader of the Georgian opposition Dzhaba Ioseliani to beginning businessman Ilya Traber.
Source: «Moscow truth», 9/10/2009
Interesting things were written about Usoyan by journalists in 2009. According to the press, during Leonid Kuchma's stay at Presidential post in Ukraine at the airport Borispol he was met personally by Grigory Surkis (president of Federation of football of Ukraine, member of executive committee of UEFA, owner of Kiev "Dynamo", real Ukrainian oligarch).
Source: «Moscow truth», 9/10/2009
In the beginning of 2000th years the thieves' theme became so popular that journalists published the letter in which thieves sentenced thief-in-law Tariel Oniani to death. Under the letter there were signatures of influential thieves including: Yaponchik, Grandpa Hasan, Lasha Rustavsky, Jury Pichuga, Vasya Voskres, Oleg Mukha, Kostya Scar, Leha Zabava, Serega Surgutsky, Shakro-junior, Koba Rustavsky.
According to official version, thieves' message was caught by police on September, 19th. Police kind of made own investigation of circumstances of attempt at Vyacheslav Ivankov, more known as Yaponchik, and came to a conclusion that Oniani ordered a hit.
The rumor says that at one of thieves' meetings Yaponchik (Vyacheslav Ivankov) achieved thief Simony to be "decrowned". Yaponchik then was supported by thieves Aslan Usoyan (Grandpa Hasan), Sergey Boitsov (Fighter) and some more criminal authorities. Oniani took it as a personal challenge. Taro is told to be wounded so much that he publicly offended Usoyan and Ivankov. Such insult in the criminal environment can never be forgiven. And it is not a surprise that in 1991 after Ivankov was released ahead of schedule (with support of numerous requests of singer Josef Kobzon, legal expert Sergey Kovalev and ophthalmologist Svyatoslav Fedorov) Tariel Oniani decided to leave the country and to stay in Paris.
Source: Journal "Ogonek" № 21 (5099), 10/5/2009
In the end of 2009 Usoyan again became interesting for journalists who described in details Usoyan’s life earlier partly already known; in this connection they mentioned about one of his relatives It was police lieutenant colonel Boris Pashaev who in the late nineties worked for thieves-in-law issue and was considered as outstanding police investigator. Since 2001 he is considered as dangerous special criminal and is in federal search. He is convicted of robberies, rapes and falsification of evidences. The day before he was supposed to be detained Pashaev hided in Georgia having taken the whole archive. Now the former policeman consults Georgian authorities on thieves' issues.
Source: "Russian Newsweek", 11/16/2009
Next time journalists remembered Aslan Usoyan because Tver regional court of Moscow repeatedly authorized arrest of Alexander Schukin — former deputy Minister of Industry of the USSR, deputy of General Director of ZAO "Voskhod" in Serpukhov, one of the largest in the country manufacturers of a cardboard and paper. Schukin was convicted of extortion in 2008 of the real estate evaluated in $12 million at businessman Evgeny Vasilyev. According to the investigation, last transferred to convict one the company possessing a large warehouse complex after a meeting with him at the restaurant. At that meeting Mr. Schukin was supported by criminal authorities Aslan Usoyan (Grandpa Hasan) and dead Vyacheslav Ivankov (Yaponchik). Protection of Mr. Schukin told that he only tried to indemnify a loss put by relatives and friends of Mr. Vasilyev.
On December, 23rd, 2008, as it comes from case papers, at restaurant "Blue Elephant" on Novinsky boulevard he together with unknown persons required $12 million from Evgeny Vasilyev. When the sustained refused to pay Mr. Schukin and unknown persons threatening him with murder made a new demand — to transfer ZAO "Country Plaza" which owned a warehouse complex in Moscow with total area of more than 10 thousand sq. meters to Alexander Schukin. Mister Vasilyev "got threats really" and signed contract of purchase of ZAO according to which the real estate was sold for $50 thousand. Victim wrote cash voucher, however he was not given any money. Under the application of the victim a criminal investigation of Mr. Schukin was opened.
As victim Vasilyev told at a meeting in the restaurant Alexander Schukin informed that his father-in-law — former chairman of Federation of a judo and sambo-wrestling of Moscow Region Mikhail Sinyakin and also the ex-deputy chief of department "N" of FSB of Russia (supervises customs) Sergey Naumov owe him money. "As the father-in-law at that time was wanted and mister Naumov — in prison I should pay for them", — Mr. Vasilyev remembered that conversation. After that, as he approves, the threats began. As he said, "authorities" which were present at the meeting did not interfere to the conversation, however already their presence convinced Mr. Vasilyev of gravity of the threats.
Journalists mentioned that this event could become a display of the internal conflict in ZAO "Voskhod".
Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" № 222 (4277), 11/27/2009
In 1991 Sergey Sobyanin was appointed head of Kogalym administration by order of Alexander Filipenko, head of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug administration. As the city mayor Sobyanin aimed most of his activities at building relationship in this one-company town with the only enterprise there,Kogalymneftegaz (LUKOIL-Western Siberia JSC since 1994). At that timeKogalymneftegaz employed Vagit Alekperov, future president of Lukoil, and Semyon Weinstock, future head of the Transneft.
Sobyanin did not defend city interests before LUKOIL in the full, agreeing with the tax rate the company was willing to pay.
Source: Expert Ural, 21 November 2005
In 1993 the head of administration of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District, Alexander Filipenko, appointed Sobyanin his first deputy. On March, 6, 1994 Sobyanin was elected to the regional Duma and Filipenko, head of the Khanty- Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug secured his election as Chairman of the Duma. Roman Abramovich supported the candidacy of Sobyanin.
Source: Moskovsky Komsomolets, 16 November 2005
In terms of region’s relationship with the major oil companies, Sobyanin initially was considered to be "a man of Alekperov." Nevertheless, he conducted a policy of balance between the different companies. It was at that time when Sobyanin met Putin, the future president of Russia. Associated with Surgutneftegaz, Sobyanin was related to the company’s oil refinery in Kirishi in the Leningrad region, which allegedly was controlled by Vladimir Putin and Gennady Timchenko.
Source: Russian Newsweek, 18 October 2010
In 1999-2000 Sobyanin was involved in the scandal surrounding Yuri Skuratov, the Attorney General of the Russian Federation. President Boris Yeltsin's confidants demanded Skuratov’s resignation. Sobyanin was the head of the Council of Federation committee that prepared the legal grounds for the dismissal. At first Sobyanin justified both the point of view of Council members who opposed the dismissal of Skuratov, and the behavior of the Attorney General who refused to leave his post. Nevertheless, later (after Putin supported the resignation of Skuratov) Sobyanin actually insisted that the Council of Federation vote for the resignation of the Attorney General.
Source: Sobesednik № 93, 29 November 2005
In January 2000 Sobyanin joined the initiative group to nominate Putin as candidate for presidency. In summer 2000 Sobyanin, who had previously opposed Putin's administrative reform initiative that involved, inter alia, the withdrawal of governors of the Council of Federation, unexpectedly endorsed the relevant laws. All this, as well as participation of the Khanty-Mansiysk speaker in the dismissal of Skuratov contributed to the fact that Putin took notice of Sobyanin, which, according to experts, affected Sobyanin’s promotion.
Source: Ogoniok № 41, 18 October 2010
On July 12, 2000 Sobyanin became the first deputy to Peter Latyshev, the plenipotentiary representative of the Russian President in the Ural Federal District, and the press highlighted that it was the president who appointed him to the post.
Source: Vedomosti, 18 October 2010
In November 2000, Latyshev included Sobyanin in the list of possible candidates for the post of Tyumen region governor. The candidacy of deputy envoy was supported by Vladislav Surkov, the deputy head of presidential administration. In addition, according to the media, he was supported by energy companiesSurgutneftegaz and Surgutgazprom. On January, 14, 2001 having received over52 percent of the vote, Sobyanin was elected governor in the first round of voting.
Source: Polit.Ru, 15 November 2005
In June 2001 Sobyanin joined the board of directors of one of the largest oil companies TNK (Tyumen Oil Company) and became its chairman. Sobyanin remained chairman until June 2003 when all region heads were withdrawn from the TNK board of directors. At the same time Sobyanin remained close ties withTNK managers and those of the later established holding TNK-BP (according to some sources, after 2005 Sobyanin was involved in a conflict between the Russian shareholders of the holding and its foreign co-owner, BP)
Source: Kommersant № 102 (2705), 17 June 2003
After the gubernatorial election of 2001 Sobyanin thoroughly removed all those who helped him win from the regional politics. He was especially careful to rid of defectors from the team of the former region head, Leonid Roketskiy. Head of the regional FSB and the Interior Ministry, the head of the regional medical service, dozens of officials and editors of media outlets were dismissed from office.
Source: New Times, 26 March 2007
Sobyanin was known to dislike opposition media when he was governor of the Tyumen region. In particular, his remark "I do not believe that a journalist could be free by definition, and the press in our country can not be free" was often quoted.
Source: UralPolit.Ru, 06 December 2004
On June, 1, 2006 the head of LUKOIL Vagit Alekperov reportedly phoned Sobyanin and said that Attorney General’s Office scheduled seizure of documents at his company on the following day. Sobyanin knew that Putin did not approve of or plan anything of the kind. He immediately telephoned Putin. Putin told him to come to his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo and to bring Larissa Brycheva, head of legal department of the Kremlin.
Later in the evening Senate Speaker Sergey Mironov was summoned to Novo-Ogaryovo. He and Sobyanin spent the night there, just in case, and in the morning on June 2 went to the Council of Federation to present the decree on the dismissal of Attorney General Vladimir Ustinov.
Source: Newsweek, 18 October 2010
According to another version, Sobyanin initiated the resignation of Attorney General Ustinov in connection with the fact that in the summer of 2006, the Attorney General's Office conducted an investigation of financial abuse in the Tyumen region. According to other sources, Sobyanin sought to reduce the influence of his deputy Igor Sechin and Ustinov was member of Sechin’s group. It was suggested that Yuri Chaika who filled the position of Attorney General after Ustinov’s dismissal was a confidant of Sobyanin.
Source: Novaya Gazeta, 22 June 2006
In November 2006 Sobyanin as a member of the Supreme Council of United Russiatook part in the VII Party Congress. Media reported that participation of the head of administration in party activities was caused by a struggle for control of theUnited Russia between Sobyanin and his deputy Surkov. Thus, according to the media, the direct participation of the head of presidential administration of Russia in the Congress was to strengthen his influence on the party.
Source: Vedomosti, 01 December 2006. - № 227 (1754)
On October, 9, 2010 Sobyanin was one of four candidates to become mayor of Moscow who were presented to the president by United Russia. On October, 15, 2010, Medvedev said that he had decided to propose Moscow City Council to approve Sobyanin new mayor of Moscow.
Source: Interfax, 15 October 2010
According to media reports, in Tyumen, where Sobyanin worked previously, his wife was called Ira Curbs because she allegedly owned Aerodromdorstroy company that paved Tyumen squares with tiles and framed roads with granite curbs. Muscovites were seriously worried that the new mayor will have a new Baturina by his side.
According to the Tyumen media in 2007 Aerodromdorstroy, which for the first time was on the list of largest private companies by Forbes, received 22 orders worth more than 232 million rubles from government transport agency Roads of the Tyumen region. In 2008 the company got 14 orders worth 7.735 billion rubles. In 2010 the company was accused in significant cost overruns in the construction of the first Tyumen underpass.
In addition to the main managing company the group legally registeredAerodromdorstroy-A closed JSC in Moscow.
Sobyanin planned to replace Moscow’s paved sidewalks with tiled ones during the summer of 2011. It is not known which companies would be conducting the work, but the mayor said they are ready to pave 4 million square metres of the capital's sidewalks. The cost of tiles only would run up to not less than 1.2 billion rubles.
Source: NEWSru, 05 April 2011
Shortly after taking office Sobyanin agreed with the VTB management to sell city-owned shares of the Bank of Moscow. The city owned 46.48% stake in the Bank of Moscow, as well as a quarter of the Capital Insurance Group, which owns 17.3% stake in the bank. But VTB management wanted to acquire 100% stake inthe Bank of Moscow.
However, Andrey Borodin who headed of the Bank of Moscow and a board member Leo Alaluev refused to sell their 20% stake in the bank.
In response, Sobyanin took measures to harass the Bank of Moscow leadership, which resulted in a request to City Hall to conduct a Chamber of Accounts audit ofthe Bank of Moscow. Sergey Stepashin promptly responded to the request from the mayor of the capital and on December, 13, 2010, the check began.
As a result, Borodin was removed from office, arrested in absentia, and put on international wanted list.
Source: NEWSru.com, 03 May 201 1
Then after the bankers Sobyanin began to harass capitol officials and businessmen, giving preference to St. Petersburg and Tyumen ones (who in large numbers began to move to Moscow). On February, 7, 2011 head of the Moscow underground known as metro, Dmitry Gayev, was dismissed. And in March 2011 a criminal case was initiated against him.
Prosecution inspection showed violations that indicated, according to the inspectors, to "Gaev and other managers of Moscow metro having of vested interests." Prosecution also suspected managers of the metro in unjustified compensation of passenger transportation costs by increasing the fare.
Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta, 24 March 2011
In early April 2011 Sobyanin accused top management of the largest enterprises of the capital, ZIL and Tushino engineering plant, in money laundering and embezzlement. The two plants, he said, were on the verge of bankruptcy and in arrears to pay wages to the workers.
The police and the Investigating Committee refused to comment on Sobyanin’s accusations against the senior managers of ZIL and Tushino plant.
Source: Gazeta.ru, 06 April 2011
