Forest orderlies

The Federal Tax Service filed tax claims against TNK-BP for 22 billion rubles. TNK confirms this information, the tax service hesitates and makes excuses that these are “the results of a preliminary audit.” Just in time. Just in time for the London Economic Forum. And to the answer to the question: “Who will be next after YUKOS.” However, there is no need to worry about TNCs. This is by no means a state order foreshadowing the upcoming takeover of TNK by Rosneft.

This is just how we have corporate wars now.

Let me remind you that a major shareholder of TNK-BP is Alfa Bank, which has long been waging a loud war for the possession of a 25% stake in Megafon. The previous owner of the ill-fated package, which became a bone of contention, is rumored to be the Minister of Communications and old friend of the President Leonid Reiman, who simply has this package... well, how can I put it mildly? In general, the persons who sold this stake to Alpha hardly had the right to do so.

Episodes of the war for Megafon have already included the banking crisis that almost happened in Russia and the accusation of VimpelCom, a rival organization, of illegal use of a license (it subsided quickly, because it began on the day when the then US Secretary of State met with Dmitry Medvedev, and immediately After the meeting, Medvedev called Russia and expressed everything he thought about attempts to attack a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange).

During the war, both sides of the conflict ran alternately to Putin and Sechin, asked for support and, presumably, received it. The Russian economy suffered enormous damage, but the influence of the president personally and his inner circle on business grew. The Alfa Group business found itself in personal feudal dependence on the president: which, in fact, was what they wanted.

This is our state policy now.

However, recently in this permanent war, unfavorable to its participants, but beneficial to the Arbiter, a funny trend has emerged. The official opponent is preparing a major tax attack to force the other side to capitulate. However, since the tax service flows like a sieve, the results of the audit become known very early to all sorts of security officers, other officials, and stock speculators. Having cooperated, they organize an unauthorized leak of information. The market is falling, speculators are harvesting and leaving, and a loud scandal has broken out causing the Federal Tax Service to babble something about a “still unfinished audit.” Thus, stock speculators and the special services that join them act as forest orderlies. This is what happened with the information about the large debts of VimpelCom, and this, apparently, is the case with the debts of TNK.

As for the intention of the president’s associates to enlarge Rosneft, they will start with other victims. First, we are not done with Yukos yet. Secondly, Bashneft may become the next victim. It is not for nothing that the legendary Salavat Karimov was sent to Bashkiria as the first deputy prosecutor. A smart choice: no one in the stock markets will cry for Murtaza and Murtazenysh - as the Bashkir oppositionists affectionately call the son of Rakhimov, the real owner of the entire Bashkir oil industry.