At the second attempt, the Tver court of Moscow arrested in absentia of Anton Zingarevich, the owner of “energostroyinvest-holding” (the écija) and son of the owner of the group Ilim, Boris Zingarevich. Young businessman is accused of credit fraud in especially large size (article 159.1 h 4) — embezzlement of loan of 1 billion rubles, taken in MTS-Bank and credit GLOBEKS-Bank’s 1.5 billion rubles.
And last week was put on the international wanted list the General Director of holding “intarsia” Victor Smirnov and his Deputy Dmitry Sokolov sent under house arrest. These two criminal cases have one thing in common: they both unfold against the background of the economic conflicts between agencies are pursuing business with the structures owned by influential business clans, originating from the cooperative “Lake”.
Energetic boys
Anton Zingarevich is charged with the embezzlement of 2.5 billion rubles allocated for the construction of banks Beloberezhskoe power substations for needs of Federal grid company UES (FGC UES) located within the zone of interests of a clan of Kovalchuk. According to investigators, Anton Zingarevich, agreed with the Director of “the écija” and the head of OOO “Engineering center “Energo” (its “Energy”) Konstantin Shishkin, and the last in 2013 took MTS Bank loan of 1 billion rubles to replenish working capital of its “Energy”. The loan was not returned,: as found out a consequence, the money Anton Zingarevich repaid the debt to the Bank “Saint Petersburg” included the suburban hockey club “Atlant” (owned by Anton Zingarevich in 2013). Another part of money was transferred in the form of a loan offshore Blaine Overseas Venture ltd, and was also spent on the purchase of promissory notes offshore Enonoline Overseas Ltd.
In Bank “GLOBEKS” its “Energy” has received 1.5 billion, which was planned to extend the construction in the Bryansk region of substations beloberezhskoe. The loan was issued in December 2013, but after a few months the borrower has ceased to serve, and not building the station. According to investigators, 1.5 billion rubles of the “Globex” was transferred to OOO “set’stroykomplekt”, then — in the écija, after which they were also withdrawn.
Interceding about the arrest, the investigator told the court that Anton Zingarevich, knowing of the prosecution, “has fled abroad and, according to current information, lives in the United States” (according to the defense, he is there for treatment). The consequence considers that, once released, the businessman could “take measures to conceal his assets or try to obtain the citizenship of a foreign state.” Ultimately, the court in absentia arrested the businessman, despite the fact that the arrest was made by the Bank “Globex”, which representatives of the defendant entered into a settlement agreement. Now the entrepreneur needs to be added to the database of Interpol (while on the organization’s website it is not).
According to the interviewed participants of the market, the main interested party of the criminal prosecution of Anton Zingarevich is the family of Yury Kovalchuk’s son Boris Kovalchuk, member of the Board of Directors of FGC UES and JSC inter RAO UES. This business clan actively fighting for influence in the energy sector of the country. And when Anton Zingarevich in 2012 bought from Evraz Group “the écija, one of the largest contractors of FGC UES for the construction of generating capacity — he, too, joined this struggle. At his side was his father, Boris Zingarevich, a part of the Board of Directors of the holding “IDGC” (predecessor of “Russian grids”). But in 2013, he left the chair, and the son remained with influential opponents one on one.
Meanwhile, in 2014 the power engineering sector entered into a deep crisis. FGC UES has reduced its investment, and the fall of the ruble made unprofitable all prior contracts, the construction of facilities (as non-ferrous metals went to international markets, which sold for currency). Contractual obligations were broken, and “the écija” was on the verge of bankruptcy with debts of 26 billion rubles (14 billion on loans and 12 billion in guarantees).
After that, the family Zingarevich was attacked from several sides. The first “fire” opened under the control of the Kovalchuk SMI — Ren-TV, the First and Fifth channels, which released in early 2015, a series of reports on the “capture” Zingarevich “half of the forests in Russia”, which included kidnappings and murders. Then the billionaires, the Smolny, which dramatically slowed their reconstruction project of the building of the stables office under this Aparthotel. Hit officials of the Leningrad region, the court attempted to terminate Zingarevich with a lease of 40 ha in the Bronka, where they wanted to build a cottage village. Went and longtime partner Zingarevich on the Ilim group Zakhar Smushkin, whose project in the satellite city “South” has also been subjected to information attacks.
Criminal case, which is now punishable Anton Zingarevich, was originally instituted against Konstantin Shishkin, the head of its “Energy” and “unidentified persons”. But in July 2016 the investigators “established” desired “face” in absentia charged him. At the same time, investigators raided the searches at the residences of Boris Zingarevich and his parents, grandparents Anton Zingarevich.
Restored case
Criminal case concerning Victor Smirnov began amid the conflict of the group “intarsia” with the clan of the ex-head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin. According to investigators, in October 2009, Victor Smirnov, being the General Director of the OOO “intarsia”, signed with the Tristar contract for the overhaul and restoration of the house of Lobanova-Rostov on Voznesensky Avenue, the Four Seasons hotel. Investigators believe that, in 2012, when the customer terminated the contract, the suspects provided him with fake documents about the amount of work performed. As a result, they received over 600 million rubles.
This argument of the “Tristar” (which is associated with the son of Vladimir Yakunin, Andrei) against the “Intarsia” (controlled by Gennady Juniku, a protege of the former Manager of President Vladimir Kozhin) stretches for more than 4 years, and the amount appearing in it, much more — about 4 billion rubles. Almost immediately, back in 2013, Andrei Yakunin it was trying to pedal it criminal legal leverage. Before the resignation of Vladimir Kozhin at the end of 2014, a criminal case against unidentified persons on the fact of “causing property damage by deception or abuse of trust (article 165 criminal code) had not received development. But with the departure Kozhina “Intarsia” pushed competitors (including “Baltstroy” Dmitry Mikhalchenko), won key government contracts for restoration. At the same time and referred to a criminal case, the Prosecutor’s office of St. Petersburg passed from GU MVD in the GSU of Investigatory Committee of Russia in St. Petersburg.
And Agency Alexander Klaus lived up to the expectations: the case was reclassified as “fraud”, and was established by the defendants — Victor Smirnov and his Deputy Dmitry Sokolov. Moreover, the remand Sokolov in the form of house arrest coincided with the meeting of the 9th arbitration appeal court on 24 July under the claim about collecting with “Intarsia” in favor of “Tristar” 4 billion rubles (court of first instance in April 2015, this claim was dismissed, and the appeal has considered the complaint of the customer for almost 1.5 years). And the announcement in the international search Smirnova coincided with the date of the next meeting — 27 June. And finally, on the eve of 3 August, the court of appeals reversed the court’s decision and issued a new judicial act on the case.
Despite the fact that Vladimir Yakunin last year was dismissed from the post of head of JSC “RZD” and refused honorary retirement in the form of a seat in the Federation Council – that is clearly distanced himself from President Vladimir Putin – the story began when Vladimir Yakunin was in full force, and shows that the members of the cooperative “Lake” former did not happen.
Don’t sue the rich
However, the formula “don’t sue friends of the President and their families” is coming to some of the other stories in the criminal prosecution of businessmen in St. Petersburg. So, Alexander Sabadash, who was convicted for fraud with the VAT return during the construction of its pellet plant “Vyborgskaya lesopromyshlennaya Korporatsiya” to the end of 2014 controlled through management of financial flows of the JSC “Lenenergo” and took control of the PJSC “IDGC of the North-West, successfully competing for influence with the clans, Igor Sechin (Russian grids) and Kovalchuk. After his arrest and the collapse of the Bank “Tavrichesky” this influence came to naught, and his protégé, former General Director “Lenenergo” Andrey Sorochinskiy, now also a defendant in a criminal case about abuse of authority.
And takes the place of “Intarsia” Gennady Annika on the market restoration of Dmitry Mikhalchenko, who was arrested this spring on charges of smuggling a crate of century-old cognac on 3 million roubles, also has opponents of the first echelons of power.
