The money of the Urals

Why in Bashkiria they do not consider the case of Yevtushenkov and "Bashneft" similar to the case of "Yukos"

The charges against the head of the AFC System Vladimir Yevtushenkov are associated with the Bashneft belonging to him. The former head of this company Ural Rakhimov , in turn, is suspected of embezzlement of shares of this enterprise. Many observers and experts saw in the persecution of Yevtushenkov the desire of the state to take control of another private oil producing company (and according to one version - even all assets of AFK System). Bashkir social activists, familiar with the situation around the Bashneft, prefer not to draw parallels between this story and the Yukos business and confirm that the case of illegal privatization of the oil company arose from scratch.

The presentation of the Urals Rakhimov , the son of the former head of Bashkiria , Murtazi Rakhimov , in absentia of waste and money laundering, became known on August 26. Prior to this, in July, at the court of appeal to the arrest of businessman Levon Ayrapetyan , who was charged with aiding in assignment or embezzlement, the investigation was mentioned by Ural Rakhimov, who, "using the fruits of the influence of his father, conceived to abduct the Bashneft shares and successfully realized it." As a result, according to the investigation, through controlled persons, he seized packages of shares of energy enterprises with a total value of more than 120 billion rubles.

On September 16, a message appeared that Rakhimov was put on an international wanted list. For the Ufa human rights activist Evgeny Kareev , this news was not a surprise. According to him, he predicted such a fate to Rakhimov Jr. a year ago. For three years, Kareev filed a lawsuit demanding to return money from the privatization of Bashneft to the republic’s budget.

There is nowhere to take money for the economy. So they take them away from the second line of oligarchs

- There is nowhere to take money for the economy. So they take them away from the "second line" of the oligarchs. Where else to get them? The first cohort of the oligarchs do not touch, they are “untouchable,” Kareev argues. - I have been filed lawsuits for three years. What the state is doing now, I tried to do through the court. Me and citizen Farvazutdinov. But then there was another situation, and our claims blocked. First, to Khamitov (the current president of Bashkiria Rustem Hamitov. - RS ) turned to him to return this money to the state. He did not do this ... And what is there to say about the Urals? The same mafioso as everyone else. The point is not in the Urals and not in Yevtushenko, but in Bashneft.

The human rights activist and chairman of the Public Chamber of Bashkiria Ramil Bignov believes that the Bashneft case has nothing to do with the Yukos case. He recalled that the situation around the Bashkir fuel and energy complex has been developing since 2002:

- In 2003, the elections of the President of the Republic were to be held. The Rakhimov family decided that if the president’s chair leaves them, then it was necessary to at least stay with assets. In 2002, two decree of the presidents were issued, who allowed without auctions, without auction, without a market assessment, rewrite these assets - oil refineries and electric power industry - to subsidiaries, and subsequently sell them for 13.4 billion rubles to seven firms that were controlled by the Urals Rakhimov, ”says Bignov.

In his opinion, only the influence of the powerful lobby did not give a move to the investigation of cases of illegal privatization of the Bashkir fuel and energy system:

- The federal authorities tried to return this property to the state, but this did not work. It can be assumed that the influence of the lobbyists played a role, it could be the representative of the AFK "System". As a result, the shares were again at enterprises controlled by the Urals Rakhimov. And in 2009, they were all sold for Mr. Yevtushenkov for 2 billion. When this business is compared with the Yukos case, this is not true. The entire population of the republic knows that the scam of the century was committed, ”said Ramil Bignov , chairman of the Public Chamber of Bashkiria.

Bignov claims that Bashkiria filed a lawsuit against missed benefits and caused by damage 209 billion rubles to the Urals Rakhimov and Levon Ayrapetyan. According to Bignov, this is only part of the fact that he lost the budget.

Another Bashkir human rights activist, Almir Zhukov, does not exclude that the attack in the Urals Rakhimov is worth a selfish interest - the desire to take possession of the money accumulated in the Ural Foundation :

“The money is all intact, only interest is spent,” Zhukova claims, “they go to healthcare, to orphans, to maintain a sports club.” Now one of the largest mosques in Russia is being built. Patients help children. I believe that the arrest of Yevtushenkov, all this incomprehensible situation threatens this fund by the fact that the deal is recognized as illegal and the money will be taken to the budget. And no one will receive sponsorship anymore: neither orphans, not a single hospital, not a single sports club. Even now, our current president, as far as I know, opens up for this fund to help someone.

According to Zhukova, most likely, money from the Ural Foundation in the near future will simply disappear, dissolving in the republican budget, and their further fate will not be possible to track.

Most likely, the money from the Ural Foundation in the near future will simply disappear, dissolving in the republican budget

- I think let the money be there. According to the Charter of the Fund, if it is closed, money from the sale of fuel and energy complex automatically moves to the republic’s budget. And remember my words: if this happens, after a short time we will understand that there is no this money, and we will never see it again.

The situation around the Urals Rakhimov and the Ural charitable foundation was commented by the head of Bashkiria Rustem Hamitov . In particular, he said that, being the head of the republic, he was interested in a fair consideration of all cases of the privatization of Bashneft and the situation in the Ural Foundation: "Ultimately, the republic may receive what is due in this part," says Khamitov.

The criminal case on Bashneft was instituted in July 2014. According to investigators, using his father’s official position, Ural Rakhimov organized theft of control packages of shares of a number of TEK enterprises, including Bashneft. In 2009, AFC System for $ 2.5 billion acquired a control package of Bashneft shares. Accusing the head of the "system" of Vladimir Yevtushenkov, the investigation proceeds from the fact that his company as a result of the transaction acquired property received by Rakhimov "knowingly criminal means", that is, washed it. In July, the entrepreneur Levon Ayrapetyan was arrested in this case - according to investigators, he helped Rakhimov on the sale of Bashneft at low cost. The AFC "System" is considered to be the charges against Yevtushenkov "completely unreasonable." Surrounded by the businessman notes that the arrest and criminal case are associated with his reluctance to sell the oil producing company Bashneft Igor Sechin - the President of Rosneft and the person from the closest encirclement of Vladimir Putin.