The former head of the Vimpelcom meets the investigation in the case of bribes. From abroad and on the blog on "Medium"

What did we learn from the posts of Mikhail Slobodin

In mid-March, the former general director of Vimpelcom (Beeline) and the energy CAS Holding Mikhail Slobodin published two posts on the medium blog, in which he analyzes his job in detail. In Russia, Slobodin was wanted on charges of creating a criminal group, which allegedly gave bribes to officials in the Komi Republic-so that it set the profitable “CAS Holding” tariffs for electricity. "Medusa" briefly tells what inconsistencies in his business the Slobodin indicated.

Mikhail Slobodin is one of the most famous Russian top managers. He not only made a brilliant career (“Renova”, TNC, “CAS Holding”, “Vimpelkom”), but also became famous as a publicist, a leading interesting blog and writing columns for various respected publications (for example, “Vedomosti” ). Success was also connected with the ability of Slobodin to explain complex things in simple language - for example, he spectacularly described the reasons why the oil cost would not rise to the area of ​​$ 100 per barrel for a long time.

The case, on which Mikhail Slobodin was put on the wanted list, became a public on September 5, 2016, when the operatives conducted searches in Renov, entrepreneur Viktor Vekselberg. Then two high -ranking employees of the company were arrested - Evgeny Olkhovik and Boris Weinzyer (are still sitting in a pre -trial detention center). The operatives could not find Slobodin, since he was abroad. This gave rise to the version widely discussed in the media that someone had warned Slobodin about the upcoming arrest, which allowed him to hide.

The investigation believes that Slobodin, Olkhovik and Weinzikher in 2007-2015 paid officials in the Komi Republic to help establish high tariffs for heat and electricity for the population. “Extra” money allegedly settled in the company “CES” (later renamed “T Plus”).

For six months that have passed since the searches in Renov, the accused did not comment on the case: Weinzikher and Olkhovik are in a pre-trial detention center, and the Slobodin, who promised to return to Russia in September 2016, is still abroad. In March 2017, he unexpectedly published several posts ( once , two ; Slobodin also promised the third part, it has not yet come out) on the Medium, which can be considered the response of the investigation.

Here's what you can find out from the posts of Slobodin

• Mikhail Slobodin showed the screenshots of his correspondence with Vimpelcom managers who organized his business trip to France on September 5–7, 2016. It follows from the correspondence that the departure of Slobodin abroad was planned at least from the end of August - and was not an attempt to escape from the investigation. “My hypothesis about this is simple - I was just lucky. It happens. Very rarely. But thank God, it happens, ”writes Slobodin.
• Based on open statistics data, Mikhail Slobodin showed that the tariffs for heat and electricity for T Plus were lower than the average Russian and even average-regional (in the North-Western Federal District). At the same time, consumers have accumulated a lot of debt (for example, for each tariffs accrued on the heat for heat in Vorkuta paid an average of 70 kopecks). “Pay for any official in Komi for such a situation, for the right to get six billion rubles in losses (or work for free), and at the same time pay a lot of money-well, it looks somehow very fantastic. Do not find? " - It is noted on the blog.
• Based on the same data, Mikhail Slobodin found that two companies in Komi had suspiciously high tariffs - the republican generating company and the bioenergy company. They were controlled by the former vice-governor Konstantin Romadanov, who, according to Slobodin, is the main witness to the prosecution of the case. In 2015, when another team came to power in Komi (the entire former was arrested almost in full force), the tariffs for these companies decreased sharply. “Amazing. But supposedly high tariffs “T Plus” are not reduced by a new regulator, but increase. And these decisions are made already in December 2016 after all criminal cases initiated! ” - writes Slobodin.
• The former top manager of Vimpelcom indicates a few more oddities in the case. For example, investigators believe that the defendants began to give bribes since 2007, although then the KES did not own control packages of local energy companies - they were at the State RAO UES of Russia. Slobodin is also stipulated that it is difficult for him to comment on everything that happened after 2010, when he stopped engaged in operational guidance at the CES. “There were no cash transmissions from the KES in the Komi Republic. How to prove this? Don't know. This is how to prove that you did not eat meat eight years ago, ”adds Slobodin.

The Investigative Committee of the statement of the former general director of Vimpelkom did not comment. Slobodin refused to give Meduza an interview about the circumstances of the case.

Alexander Polivanov