Yesterday, another steel tycoon, a founder of the Max Group, Nikolai Maksimov was arrested in the interests of oligarch Vladimir Lisin. According to the order, the Central Investigation Department police department of the Sverdlovsk region alleges Maximov, as well as three other former senior executives of abuse in the sale of controlling stake in Maxi-Group to Novolipetsk Steel Combine (NLMK) by Lisin in 2007-2008. Defense of Nikolai Maximov believes that the prosecution was initiated to make the businessmen "compliant" in the upcoming proceedings between NLMK and businessman in International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce of the in the suit for damages caused by NLMK purchasing of shares in "Maxi-Group .

 

Nikolai Maximov was arrested after the press conference he held yesterday in the capital hotel "Marriott". Then Mr. Maximov once again laid out his version of his relationship with NLMK and law enforcement agencies. As told by witnesses, investigator of the Chief Investigation Office (GSU) under the police department of the Sverdlovsk region, Alexei Shisterov and several investigators came to the Marriott ahead of time and were going to arrest the businessman even before the event. However, Mr. Maximov managed to persuade police to allow him to speak.

After the press conference, Nikolay Maksimov approached the table where he had been expected by the investigator. According to the protocol drawn, Mr. Maximov was suspected of abuse of authority, and the reason for his detention was that he had been hiding and did not show up on the challenges of the investigator.

"In fact, Nikolai Maximov is not hiding, everybody knew he was going to hold a press conference, including the investigator with whom my client talked three days prior to that on the phone," the lawyer of businessman, Leonid Matveyev said. In this case, the defender believes that the prosecution of his client has been organized to make him more "compliant" in the upcoming arbitration proceedings on the suit for damages caused by purchasing shares in "Maxi-Group” by NLMK. Yesterday, Nikolai Maximov was transferred to Yekaterinburg, where he should be charged and a preventive measure will be set.

Let us recall that in October 2009, GSU under the police department of the Sverdlovsk region opened a criminal case under part 2, Art. 201 of the Criminal Code ("abuse of power"). The ground was made by the statement of NLMK. The claims od thw Combinat were caused by the action of the group of representatives of the former leadership of Maxi-Group headed by Nikolai Maximov, which also included Alexander Malyshev, Sergei Mironov and Alexander Loginovskikh (the latter three were claimed recently, they are under travel restrictions). According to the statement of GUS, in January-February 2008, immediately after the transaction of sale of 51% shares of Maxi-Group, which NLMK purchased from Mr. Maximov, Nikolai Maximov caused property damage to customers. NLMK reported in its statement, that, having received money for the company, Mr. Maximov gave them as a loan to "Maxi-Group, and later demanded the loan back by withdrawing those funds under to the companies under his control. NLMK said that those actions damaged the company amounting to more than 8.6 billion rubles.

It is worth noting that before the end of February the International Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) at the Chamber of Commerce may take its decision on the suit by Nikolai Maximov to NLMK. The businessman asked to charge NLMK the acquired shares in the amount of 14.7 billion rubles of the main loan, plus interest for wrongful use of another's money (the plaintiff means the money that, in his opinion, had not been paid by the buyer for the purchase of Max Group "). However, NLMK has also filed a counter claim to the ICAC, which provided its calculation of the value of the acquired shares of Maxi-Group. Based on these calculations, Novolipetsk Steel demanded to recover from Nikolai Maximov more than 2 billion rubles overpaid for the shares.