Vekselberg.ru was Stripped to Criminal Case
// Robbery
Yesterday, Renova company, directed by famous businessman Viktor Vekselberg tried to refute information agencies’ messages about the beginning of a criminal case and a search made at the company. However, Kommersant learned that after all, investigative actions did take place, although only on the level of district militia.
Yesterday, information agencies reported that certain workers of law enforcement seized the documents of Renova company (28B Balaklavsky prospect). However, formally, Renova had nothing to do with it, Kommersant learned. In reality it was a search, not a seizure, and contrary to Renova, it was held at ChOP “Mangust-Service”, a security firm owned by Viktor Vekselberg. The investigator of Tagansky Department of the Interior Aleksandr Lyanov suspects workers of ChOP being involved in robbery of lawyer Oleg Ukrazhenko, who represents interests of investors of Pervy Gorodskoi Bank (PGB-First Municipal Bank). They are also charged on article 203 of Russia Criminal Code (“exceeding authority by workers of private security and detective services.”)
Let us remind you that clients of PGB began having problems in summer of 2002, when the bank suspended payments and its director Maksim Listovsky disappeared. The banker was suspected of embezzlement of investors' funds so a criminal case was started on charges of fraud and premeditated bankruptcy of the bank. During the investigation it was learned that part of the means from PGB had accumulated on the accounts of SL Capital, 100% daughter structure of Alba-Aliance bank, Viktor Vekselberg co-owner. In January of this year these accounts were arrested by the ruling of Meshchansky court of Moscow. On March 2, 2004 the Moscow Arbitrary Court shut down the PGB.
Lawyer Oleg Ukrazhenko, who represented the interests of investors, accused Viktor Vekselberg of fraud. He published documents, supposedly verifying the involvement of Vekselberg in this case on vekselberg.ru.
April 28, on Vekovaya Street unknown criminals, some of them dressed in militia uniforms, blocked Oleg Ukrazhenko’s car. “According to the victim, criminals pulled him out of the car and put an object similar to a gun to his head, demanding that all publications on the internet about Vekselberg should be stopped. Then the criminals robed him of his briefcase and ran away,” Lyanov told Kommersant, “In his writ the victim mentioned that the ones, who assaulted him were members of ‘Mangust-Service’. Taganskaya district prosecutor’s office started a criminal case on charges of robbery which I am now investigating.”
Beside that, the investigator said that as part of the investigation he also was examining a “Mangust-Service” worker– Andrey Golosov. He was detained April 23 by Zamoskvorechye Department of the Interior, while taking pictures of Main Administration of Internal Affairs (GUVD) of Russia members coming out of the building. They were the ones dealing with the writ of Oleg Ukrazhenko about his illegal detainment by the members of OVD. Supposedly, the militia also demanded to close the vekselberg.ru site.
The investigator said that he went to “Mangust” office accompanied by Specnaz fighters: “They did not open the door to us and even demonstrated resistance, so we had to storm the building.” However, the militia did not find anything there that was of criminal content. “I only seized a gun “Sayga – 20,” which for some reason was kept under director’s couch, instead of the safe, and the firm’s documents. The search was done in a calm atmosphere in the presence of two witnesses – Renova employees,” Aleksandr Lyanov said.
However, Mangust sent a different account of the search to the prosecutor’s office and to GUVD, where it accused the investigator of drinking hard drinks during search and beating Mangust employees. “That is rather interesting, since I knew who owned Mangust, why would I have drunk vodka there!”- the investigator commented on the situation. He also affirmed that Specnaz did not beat anybody at Mangust. The search, by the way, was made June 24. Now the investigation examines the seized documents. Since then no investigative actions have been taken against Mangust or Renova. Neither Ukrazhenko, nor Lyanov have any ideas why the information about the search appeared only yesterday: “You are the first ones to call me about it,” Lyanov said to Kommersant.
Mangust promised to explain the situation to Kommersant, but was not able to do so before the signing of the issue for publication. The director of Renova corporate relations Vasily Verbin announced that no seizure of documents had been made in the company, or its daughter enterprises. “This whole story with seizure has nothing to do with us,” he emphasized.
Aleksandr Zheglov, Elena Kiseleva, Aleksey Sokovnin
All the Article in Russian as of July 02, 2004
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Photo: Valery Levitin
