The fraud case against Levon Hayrapetyan is being investigated separately

Today it became known that from the basic criminal case of the theft of Bashneft shares in 2009 and their subsequent laundering, an episode of $700 thousand fraud against entrepreneur Levon Hayrapetyan was separated into a separate proceeding.

Entrepreneur Levon Hayrapetyan
Photo: Dmitry Lekai, Kommersant / buy photo

On April 6, the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, from the main criminal case related to the investigation into the circumstances of the sale in 2009 by the son of the ex-president of Bashkortostan, Ural Rakhimov, of Bashneft to AFK Sistema, separated into separate proceedings the episode of fraud for $700 thousand, which was previously within the framework of The case was incriminated against the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sobesednik Publishing House Levon Hayrapetyan. According to the entrepreneur’s lawyer Ruben Markaryan, the investigation came to the conclusion that this episode has nothing to do with the criminal case being investigated regarding Bashneft, and therefore separated it into a separate proceeding. As Mr. Hayrapetyan’s lawyer emphasized, the investigation into this episode was extended until July 15, as was the Basmanny Court - house arrest for his client.

The founder of Sobesednik stayed for a long time

Let us remind you that an influential businessman, 66-year-old Levon Hayrapetyan, was detained by FSB operatives on July 15, 2014 at Domodedovo Airport, when he flew from Yerevan to undergo routine treatment at the private medical center “K-31”, located on Lobachevsky Street. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sobesednik Publishing House was detained as a suspect in a criminal case of embezzlement (Article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and laundering of funds acquired by criminal means (Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), based on an investigative resolution. The reason for his detention was the testimony of the former representative of Bashkiria in the Federation Council, Igor Izmestiev, who is serving a life sentence, about the circumstances of the sale of Bashneft by Ural Rakhimov.

Then, in the fall of 2014, Igor Izmestiev’s mother, Tamara, two years after her son’s life sentence, wrote a statement that Levon Airapetyan fraudulently stole $700 thousand from her, allegedly in order to somehow help her son. According to Levon Hayrapetyan’s lawyer Ruben Markaryan, the conversation during meetings with his client was indeed about money, but allocated as part of a PR campaign. “At the same time, during the confrontation, Izmestyev’s mother was unable to prove where, how and under what circumstances she transferred the money to my client,” said Mr. Markaryan.

It should be noted that Mr. Airapetyan also remained in the basic criminal case related to fraud with shares of enterprises of the Bashkir fuel and energy complex. Together with him in the case are the son of the ex-president of Bashkortostan, Ural Rakhimov, and the head of AFK Sistema, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, whose prosecution has not yet been stopped. The investigation period in this case has been extended until July 28 this year.

Yuri Senatorov

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Two proceedings emerged from the Bashneft case