Suspicious victim

The Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted searches at the Industrial Credit Bank

Employees of the Investigative Committee (IC) and the Economic Security Department (DES) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs yesterday conducted searches in the offices of the Industrial Credit Bank (Incredbank). The reason for this was a criminal case about illegal banking activities. As investigators suspect, the bank's management created an extensive network of shell companies for illegal cash withdrawals, earning more than 50 million rubles. It is worth noting that Incredbank also appears in another scandalous criminal case - the extortion of a large bribe by two senior employees of the central office of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, who were detained last year. The victim is the vice-president of the bank and general director of the Spartak hockey club, Pyotr Chuvilin.

As reported by the Investigative Committee, searches at Commercial Bank Industrial Credit Bank LLC were carried out as part of a previously initiated criminal case into illegal banking operations. According to the investigation, a certain criminal group operated in the bank, “whose members opened current accounts for organizations registered under dummies without actually identifying customer data,” and in order to present their actions as lawful, they prepared forged documents. According to the Investigative Committee, more than 20 such current accounts were opened this year, and cash was issued to clients through pre-opened deposit boxes in Incredbank. “As a result of the withdrawal of non-cash funds into shadow circulation and illegal cashing out by members of the criminal group, income in the amount of more than 50 million rubles was received,” the Investigative Committee said.

It was not reported which departments of the bank the searches took place. The Ministry of Internal Affairs only indicated that at the head office of Incredbank on Malaya Pirogovskaya Street, seals and documents were confiscated that confirm criminal activity. For example, in the Izmailovsky office on Burakova Street, Vremya Novostey stated that law enforcement officers did not come to them yesterday. In the remaining offices - "Ryazan" and "Central" the phones were not answered yesterday, as well as in the head office; in the "Voikovsky" office they refused to comment.

The Investigative Committee also reported that as a result of the operation, Tatyana Sorokina, an employee of the Galleon Financial Company CJSC, whose office was located on the bank’s premises, was detained. According to investigators, Ms. Sorokina, acting on the instructions of Incredbank executives, controlled the activities of shell companies and communicated and coordinated the activities of clients of illegal banking services. It was not reported whether any of the bank's employees were detained.

This is not the first recent criminal scandal for Incredbank management. Last year, the defendant in a criminal case, however, was its vice-president Pyotr Chuvilin as a victim.

As the Vremya Novostei newspaper has already reported (see, in particular, the issue dated November 18, 2008) , in June 2008, two employees of the anti-corruption unit of the central apparatus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, police majors Dmitry Tselyakov and Alexander Nosenko, were detained. The basis for launching an investigation against them was a statement received by the FSB from Mr. Chuvilin. As it turned out during the investigation, Tselyakov and Nosenko engaged him for several years as a consultant in the investigation of cases related to bank fraud. In 2007, as follows from the banker’s statement, two Lithuanian citizens, Vadim Kastuevas and Alexander Bidenko, came to him and said that they were representatives of Tselyakov and Nosenko, who needed to pay $1 million “for patronage.” The banker decided that it was better not to argue with law enforcement officers, since they could find various violations in the bank, and it would be easier to pay. In May last year, according to investigators, the Lithuanians again came to the bank on behalf of the detectives, but asked for too much - 1.5 million euros. As a result, Mr. Chuvilin turned to the FSB. In early June, upon receiving the first tranche of 600 thousand euros, the Lithuanians were detained, and Tselyakov and Nosenko were detained by FSB officers a few days later. At the moment, this case has already been sent to court, and the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs remain under arrest.

Later, this story affected another high-ranking employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the head of the department for investigating organized criminal activities against the economic security of the interests of the service and order of the Investigative Committee, Major General of Justice Igor Tsokolov. “Revelations” about him appeared in the media after President Dmitry Medvedev announced the creation of a new position as assistant to the president on anti-corruption issues last June. Mr. Tsokolov was mentioned in the media as one of the possible contenders for this post. But along the way, information appeared in a number of media outlets about the major general’s corrupt connections with the arrested MIA officers Tselyakov and Nosenko. However, Igor Tsokolov sued the publication that published this material, accusing the journalists of libel, and won the lawsuit, protecting his reputation.

Sergey MINENKO