“National media group” (controlled by bank “Rossiya”) chairman of board of directors, Lubov Sovershaeva, got control over 600 hectares of Neva embankment land through the fund directed by her. A part of this land was given for rent to a company, owned by the business partners of an authoritative businessman, Ilya Traber. In the struggle for the plot of land Sovershaeva’s fund representatives used faked documents.

MAKE ME A PRESENT OF RECREATIONAL FOREST …

As far back as some years ago it couldn’t come into smb’s mind that recreational forest, located at Neva embankment nearby Sverdlov’s village, could become the matter of fierce battles in court. However, it happened at rather unexpected circumstances. In the beginning of the century the Pokrovsky Charity Fund decided to provide itself with its own recreational forest. Nevskiy recreational forest got the nod. No bureaucratic obstacles occurred on the way of fulfillment of that fantastic, as it seemed, wish. In March 2005 the Head of Leningrad region Federal Agency for State Property Management territorial administration Mikhail Blinov transferred almost the whole Nevskiy recreational forest, about 600 hectares, to the free use of “Pokrovskiy”.

Even for wonderland Russia such squandering of natural resources was unprecedented. In a fact, have you ever heard that the state agency would transfer a whole recreational forest to the possession of an individual?

There is no doubt that “Pokrovskiy” fund grounded the necessity to use for free 600 hectares of forest on reasons of revival the Old Russian church architecture. A nice wooden “Pokrovskaya” church was really built there. Just nobody could explain why the church needed 600 hectares of forest.

Most likely, the reason of such a generosity of an official was not about “what fore”, but about “why”. Probably it helped that the President of “Pokrovskiy” fund was Lubov Sovershaeva, Chairman of board of CJSC “National media group”, controlled by bank “Rossiya”, which was considered the closest to the Chairman of Russian government Vladimir Putin. No accident that the idea of transferring Nevskiy recreational forest to “Pokrovskiy” was actively lobbied by President’s authorized representative in Northwestern Federal district of Russia, while Ms. Sovershaeva was deputy authorized representative.

However, everything was going smoothly until projectionists of “Pokrovskiy” fund decided that there shouldn’t be any outsiders in “their” territory. “Outsiders” were there by the moment of historical decision making by Federal Agency for State Property Management. Those were restaurant “Yakor” and CJSC “Soveks”. Ministry of natural resources gave them for rent small plots in Nevskiy recreational forest. Those plots were extremely small in comparison with “Pokrovskiy” appetites.

Nevertheless, it turned so that the “outsider” was only “Yakor” but not “Soveks”. Thanks to “Yakor” owner’s active position, amazing facts became known.

 

 

 

DECISION THAT WAS NOT MADE

At first it clarified that Federal Agency for State Property Management didn’t have right to dispose of Nevskiy recreational forest for the reason that the forests are controlled by Ministry of natural resources of RF. However the Head of Federal Agency for State Property Management in Leningrad region Mikhail Blinov was not confused with that circumstance, in short terms the documents for transferring the land from forest resources to the status of specially protected territories. Although there was no legal basement for that, the officials of Leningrad region Federal Agency for State Property Management together with “Pokrovskiy” fund representatives didn’t give in. Some mysterious way Decision of Leningrad city executive committee from 1972 came up, which limited the borders of historical and cultural object “Usadba Bogoslovka”, located at the territory of Nevsky recreational forest. Using that circumstance as basis the recreational forest had been transferred to the category of specially protected territories under control of Federal Agency for State Property Management.

Later it became clear that the decision of Leningrad city executive committee didn’t exist, and subordinates of Lubov Sovershaeva and Mikhail Blinov confidently used faked document, but it was clarified much later. Firstly, Nevsky recreational forest already fell into “Pokrovsky” strong hands, secondly, by that time other formal reasons, making it possible for Federal Agency for State Property to dispose of desired 600 hectares of land at Neva embankment, came into power.

Law enforcement officials reacted in timely manner: stated a fact of crime by the article 327 of Criminal Code of Russian Federation (“Falsification, fabrication and distribution of faked documents”) and refused to commence legal proceeding because of lapse of time.

The court decided to wipe off the face of the earth restaurant “Yakor”, the owner of which caused the entire stir. On the other hand, the destiny of another renter’s property, CJSC “Soveks”, owned by friends of Ilya Traber (famous in informal circles under the pseudonym Antiquarian), succeeded in a different way. The agency directed by Mikhail Blinov kindly signed with “Soveks” new agreement for rent of more than 3 hectares of recreational forest for 10 years. It was interesting that those 3 hectares were located in the territory, which was transferred earlier by Mr. Blinov to “Pokrovskiy” fund for free use for 49 years. Lubov Sovershaeva and her subordinates, at that, didn’t make any claims to “Soveks”.

It seems that there were objective reasons.

 

SHADOWS FROM THE PAST

In the past 1993 Russian government released an order to make 29 % of shares of the biggest Northwestern stevedore company, OJSC “Sea port”, state owned common voting shares. (Originally, according to a privatization plan, those shares were preference, i.e. not voting, and allotted to sale, that private companies, including those, connected with Ilya Traber, tried to actively use). In case of realization of that governmental order in the state property would remain 49% of port’s shares (20% more were initially state owned), and no private individuals would appear among the owners of the company.

On July 1st 1993 the chairman of committee for the administration of state property Sergey Belyaev approved the changes of “Sea port” privatization plan in accordance with the order. It seemed that it left a little time to wait until the sea gates of the country remain in state’s property, but violations were done by the officials of committee for the administration of state property, therefore the process of returning the “Sea port” to state property was suspended, and later stopped at all. In the result the shares of “Sea port” passed under control of private structures, first of all those, according to journalists, connected with Ilya Traber.

Later former St Petersburg prosecutor Ivan Sidoruk stated that crucial for St Petersburg sea port violations were done by Lubov Sovershaeva, the Head of one of St Petersburg committee for the administration of state property departments.

All that happened long ago. However, the time hadn’t broken up connections between those people, and the former Head of Leningrad region Federal Agency for State Property Management Mikhail Blinov was not a come-and-go person in that company, according to a well-known newsmaker, living at the shore of Mediterranean.

 

HELLO, I’M BARMALEY

In summer 2008 Spanish policemen carried out a worldwide resounded operation “Troika”, during which the legendary for the beginning of 90-th St Petersburg mafia bosses, Alexander Malishev and Gennadiy Petrov, were detained. They were suspected of criminal money laundering, tax evasions and other economic crimes. The Spanish policemen, obviously, got prepared well for the operation. The printed media reported, for example, about wiretaps done by intelligence services during about two years before arrests. Part of collected information after the resonance arrests got to printed media.

For example, became known about telephone talks between Gennadiy Petrov and one businessman, whose name was Vladimir and pseudonym “Barmaley”. Our colleagues wrote, that Barmaley asked Petrov to help a certain Mikhail Blinov to fill a high post in Moscow. In that regard, journalists remembered about the plans of Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Russian Federation German Gref to offer the former Head of Leningrad region Federal Agency for State Property Management Mikhail Blinov to fill the post of Head of Moscow Federal Agency for State Property Management.

All wiretaps took place in summer 2007 when Mr. Blinov and Ms. Sovershaeva creatively turned forest into specially protected territory for the benefit of “Pokrovskiy” fund, directed by Sovershaeva, and CJSC “Soveks, owned by Ilya Traber’s friends.

Curious that at the same time Spanish policemen recorded the talks between Gennadiy Petrov and Ilya Traber. Ilya Ilyich Traber, according to journalists, asked Petrov to connect him with RF State Duma deputy Vladislav Reznik, who was in Spain at that moment.

Overall, it seemed that old friends found each other again in Nevskiy recreational forest in Leningrad region Vsevolozhskiy district. It might be supposed that 3 hectares of Nevskiy recreational forest were needed to “Soveks” not for business diversity but for Mr. Traber's personal needs.

500 meters from unlucky restaurant “Yakor” and 20 meters from Neva a beautiful stone mansion with nice green lawn was situated. It was Ilya Traber, who lived in the mansion with wonderful panorama view of Neva upper reach.

Local community regularly saw him with an impressive entourage. According to legends, a luxuriously dressed gentleman with his entourage could easily come to a nearest shop and inform the shop assistants that their shop would in the nearest future stop making the owner of chic mansion nervous and take away the wonderful view from the windows of his house.

We were told that in front of the windows of Ilya Traber’s home instead of green lawn earlier a restaurant was situated. Later the restaurant was burned down whether because of circuit or thunderbolt. Since then nothing took away the integrity of the view.

Nevertheless, that was all only rumors and local folklore, except for the mansion.

 

SERGEY SPIRIDONOV, "Rumafia.com"

 

Reference:

CJSC "Soveks" – big and very famous company in St Petersburg, dealing in oil products. The main business of the company – fuel delivery for aircrafts, served at “Pulkovo-1” and “Pulkovo-2”. There are 200 Russian and foreign airline companies from more than 50 countries in the list of it’s clients.

In a fact, the company is a monopolist in fuelling of aircrafts, landing in St Petersburg. The fact that “Soveks” has been holding it’s attractive for other companies position for many years, tells that the first persons of the company can find common language with the most high-ranking persons.

CJSC “Soveks” belongs to two persons: Alexander Ulanov and Victor Koritov. Both of them were Ilya Traber’s old business partners. All three of them figure in the State register of legal entities as co-owners of “Security company VIAB” Ltd.

That’s how the faked Decision # 660 ( page №1 and page №2) of Leningrad city executive committee from July 20 th 1972, which was used by “Pokrovskiy” fund and Leningrad region Federal Agency for State Property Management for getting control over Nevskiy recreational forest, looked like.

And this is the original Decision # 660 ( page №1 and page №2) of Leningrad city executive committee from July 20 th 1972.

And this is how Economic Crime Department of St Petersburg Central district Department of internal affairs reacted on falsification. ( page №1 and page №2)

The former St Petersburg prosecutor Ivan Sidoruk stated that crucial for St Petersburg port violations were done by Lubov Sovershaeva. ( page №1 and page №2)

Ilya Traber’s mansion, situated nearby Nevskiy recreational forest, resembles strategic object with several lines of barrier.