Translated material
The case of the Russian mafia: “Tolik”, “Sasha”, “Tsar”
In Spain, a trial of a criminal group of 27 people, consisting mainly of Russians, began. The investigation lasted 10 years. Here's what the New Times wrote about this case
The investigative prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office of Spain to combat corruption and organized crime Jose Grind, inviting him to the office, jokes that he can be fired for an interview in this case. We met at the end of September <2015>: at that moment the text of the indictment was not yet completed. Grinda complained that Russian law enforcement agencies did not really seek to help Spanish colleagues. “Cooperation with Russian law enforcement agencies went with varying success,” he carefully formulates.
Russian colleagues could not establish the whereabouts of the defendants in the case hidden in Russia, did not initiate cases of corruption according to information transferred from Spain, did not make it possible to interrogate high -ranking defendants as witnesses, demanded to stop the investigation in Spain and transfer the criminal case to Russia. The last such request came from Russia on December 31, 2013, says Grinda: the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, referring to the 1972 Strasbourg Convention on the transfer of criminal cases, claimed that it would be better to conduct an investigation against Russian citizens, and in case of condemnation, to ensure their social rehabilitation. But on September 18, 2015, the judge of the National Court of Spain Jose de La Mata finally refused the Russian Prosecutor General. And pointed to the facts of corruption of the investigating authorities of Russia that had opened during the investigation. The data was obtained as a result of the fact that the phones of Gennady Petrov* and other main defendants in the case were put on wiretap in 2006.
Official refusal of the Spanish prosecutor's office
transfer the case of the "Russian mafia"
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation (on nine sheets)
dated September 18, 2015 increase
The indictment of the case No. 321/2006 ( the case on the so -called operation “Troika”. - NT) was transferred to the section No. 5 of the Criminal Chamber of the National Court of Spain on October 19 of this year. The prosecutor's office demanded 8 years for the main accused Gennady Petrov, 6.5 years for his wife Elena Petrova and 5.5 years of prison for the rest of the defendants. The main accused Gennady Petrov is a person well known in St. Petersburg. In 1994, he was arrested after the equally famous Alexander Malyshev ** on suspicion of organizing a criminal community, racketeering, extortion, but the case soon fell apart. Petrov was released from custody before the court without a charge.
Petersburg circle
Recall: the investigative prosecutors Jose Grind and Juan Carrau found that Gennady Petrov, Alexander Malyshev, Leonid Khristoforov, Sergey Kuzmin, Ilya Triber, Viktor Gavrilenkov (all, except Malyshev, are hiding from Spanish justice) and other figures, settled in Spain in the mid-1990s, created a network of hundreds of companies in the country for which they designed for which they designed real estate. And then they repeatedly resold it at an increasing price through dummmer firms, controlled by the same people. That is, according to prosecutors, they sold themselves in order to launder money. This happened in the provinces of Alikant, Barcelona, Malaga and Mallorca. Having passed through Spain, the washed money was sent to Panama and Liechtenstein. The Spanish investigation authorities believe that in this way, money was washed from drug smuggling, weapons trading and the “trade of ties”; All defendants in the case are presented to the creation of a criminal community in Spain. In total, 27 people, including Spanish citizens, employees of dummary companies, and Russians, including State Duma deputy Vladislav Reznik and his wife, on the list of accused, included in the “Organization of Gennady Petrov”. From each prosecutors demand to recover € 100 million.
Vladislav Reznik “is responsible for the performance of the required and necessary actions, both legal and illegal - the trade of ties, confidential information, etc. In the highest instances of the Russian Federation, acting in the interests of Petrov and the organization in his subordination. Vladislav Reznik is in good relations with Ilya Traber, the leader of the Vyborg criminal group, as well as with (former Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation) Anatoly Serdyukov, (former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation) Viktor Zubkov and (former speaker of the State Duma) Boris Gryzlov, ”the indictment says.
Jose Grind
Photo: Valery Balayan
It was not possible to get a comment from the deputy of Reznik NT. In 2008, he spoke in an interview with MK: “I am unfamiliar with Malyshev, with Petrov - a sign. I have never engaged in any unlawful activity. ” In June 2015, the deputy noted in an interview with Bloomberg that he was ready to come to Spain to defend his reputation if the court was taking place. Meanwhile, the Spanish prosecutors found that the State Duma deputy Vladislav Reznik, the only representative of the Russian authorities, who became directly accused - used one plane and moor for yachts in Spain with Gennady Petrov, and also participated, as prosecutors believe, in fictitious transactions in Spain, which served to shake funds. The request of the Spaniards about the interrogation of Reznik in Russia was not satisfied with the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.
In June 2008, Gennady Petrov and Alexander Malyshev was arrested in their homes on Mallorca and Malaga as part of the joint operation of the prosecutor's office and gendarmerie of Spain (Guardia Civil) - “Three”. After arresting a year and a half, Petrov was released on a recognizance not to leave, and then left for his homeland, to St. Petersburg, on permitted leave for health reasons and did not return. The Spanish prosecutor’s office believes that Petrov was delayed in Russia not of his own free will: on the eve of the trip, he seemed to be preparing to sign an agreement with the Spanish authorities that he recognizes the charges, agrees to the fine and confiscation of property in Spain and leaves the country without the right of subsequent entry. That is, the prison in any case did not threaten him, says Grinda. True, Petrov was bargaining: he wanted him to blame him for the organization of the criminal community, but then he waved his hand and left for Russia. The agreement was never signed, and Petrov passes through the column "hiding from Spanish justice." The son of Gennady Petrov is also considered the accused. Anton Petrov has dozens of companies in St. Petersburg, he is a co -founder of the largest jewelry company “585”, according to the estimates of the Northern Capital business media, his condition at the end of 2014 reached 6 billion rubles. As early as May 29, 2015, the prosecutor Jose Grinda requested a judge Jose de La Mata to the announcement of Anton and Gennady Petrov on the international wanted list “after clarifying their location”, but so far this has not been done.
From an interview with Jose Grinda, the investigative prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office of Spain to combat corruption and organized crime
NT: *Will Petrov be judged? *
Mr. Petrov is in Russia and is considered to be escaped from Spanish justice. He is in the same situation as Vladislav Reznik: they will not judge him in absentia, because the sentence requested by the prosecutor’s office is too large. In Spain, correspondence courts are allowed only in cases where the requested period of punishment does not exceed 2 years of prison, and the prosecutor's office requested 5.5 years in prison, Petrov - 8 years.
NT: *Any of the accused will be in prison? It is difficult to say, but it will be difficult for them to leave Russia.*
NT: *The classic sign of the mafia is the connection of crime with the state. Is it possible to talk about this in this case? *
The prosecutor's office of Spain submitted a report showing that Petrov had connections in the economic sphere, in the criminal environment and in the political sphere. And these three groups of ties allowed Petrov to be legalized and live quite calmly. Relations with the oligarchs allowed him to become rich, ties with the criminal world allowed him to settle down and live so that no one would touch his wealth, and ties with politicians and officials allow him to have a decent reputation. These are very interesting relationships. Russian law enforcement officers, the task of which is to investigate these ties, in fact, contrary to their task, are engaged in the purification of its reputation.
Zubkov “lobbying the interests of the group in Russia”, being as Prime Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, said on page 27 of the indictment of the Spanish prosecutor's office
Trade of ties
The investigation found that the main suspect Gennady Petrov maintained a direct relationship:
- with Anatoly Serdyukov, who at the time of wiretaps (end of 2006 - 2008) occupied the posts of the head of the Federal Tax Service, and then the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation;
-with Viktor Zubkov, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation in 2007-2008, and before that the head of financial intelligence of the country-Rosfinmonitoring, Deputy Minister of Finance, Deputy Minister of Taxes and Duties, and earlier-former deputy Vladimir Putin in the Committee on External Relations of the St. Petersburg City Hall. Zubkov “lobbying the interests of the group in Russia”, being the Prime Minister and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, is said on p. 27 of the indictment of the Spanish prosecutor’s office ( is at the disposal of the editorial office. -NT), making “a number of political decisions” (which is not specified for decisions);
- with the chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin;
-with the deputy director of the FSKN, Colonel General Nikolai Aulov ***;
- with the former Minister of Communications Leonid Reiman (he was together with the Petrov co -owner of Caspian Petr Re, LLC.);
- And also with the former deputy chairman of the IC of the Russian Federation Igor Sobolevsky ****.
Photo: fskn.gov.ru, Businessinsider.com, Vasily Shapochnikov/Kommersant, ITAR-TASS/Interpress, ITAR-TASS/Vitaly Belousov
What did the Spanish prosecutors mean, claiming in their indictment that “the grouping was integrated into the police institutes of Russia”?
According to the Spaniards, the main success of the group of Petrov was the promotion of Sasha ( this refers to the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. - NT). Jose Grind and Juan Carrau made this conclusion on the basis of several conversations listened.
So, on June 28, 2007, Igor Sobolevsky, who was still working as a lawyer in St. Petersburg, called Gennady Petrov. According to the decryption, he said that Sasha ( that is, Bastrykin, is specified on p. 29 of the indictment. - NT) is going to celebrate his appointment to the position, thanks in every way Petrova and asks to invite a mediator to the holiday, who helped organize this purpose. The name of the intermediary is unknown.
Sobolevsky himself soon managed to appoint the deputy chairman of the IC of the Russian Federation to the post of deputy chairman. True, this required efforts a year long. As evidenced by the decryption of the wiretap of telephone conversations of Petrov dated July 3, 2007, the same State Duma deputy Vladislav Reznik took up the employment of the lawyer. Moreover, according to wiretap, to the post of deputy chairman of the UK, who Petrov forgave Sobolevsky, there were three candidates, but Petrov promised Sobolevsky that he would receive this position. On July 3, 2007, at 18.41, Petrov calls Sobolevsky and reports that “Slava called him ( Reznik. -NT) yesterday and said that he had already talked with his friend and that he was one hundred percent, that the appointment was approved and that this is only a matter of time.” But Igor wants to know why they have been pulling with his appointment for so long. Petrov says that "in the worst case, he will personally talk to the right people when he will be in Russia."
On June 10, 2008, Sobolevsky was appointed Deputy Chairman of the IC Alexander Bastrykin, but spent only a year to his position: the Spaniards unveiled these wiretaps, and he was fired from his post by decision of President Medvedev of June 1, 2009.
Almost simultaneously with Bastrykin-in June 2008-the new deputy also received the new chairman of the FSKN Viktor Ivanov ( earlier-the main personnel officer of the Kremlin. -NT). He became the police general Nikolai Aulov, whom Jose Grind and Juan Carrau are considered closely related to the Petrov group. At the time when the Spaniards listened to Petrov’s phone and his colleagues, Aulov served as the head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District, where he was appointed Decree of President Putin in November 2006.
Vladislav Reznik
Photo: vladimirfedorenko/ria novosti
For two years of telephone conversation control operations-from the end of 2006 to April 2008-General Aulov talked 78 times with Gennady Petrov on the phone, of which the auls were the initiator of the call 74 times, it was also mentioned in other calls of the group members.
“It makes sense to note the actions of Aulov’s people, performed at the request of Petrov, namely: the detention of several police officers due to the fact that they acted against the interests of a person from Petrov’s environment. Also Nikolai Aulov, using his connections at the local and federal levels, provides support and contributes to the release of licenses and other types of permits in Petrov’s personal and business interests and his environment. Nikolai Aulov received a monetary reward from Petrov, ”says pages 58–59 of the indictment.
Let us decipher: the Spanish prosecutors believe that the auls through an unknown senior official in Moscow helped organize the arrests of people unwanted to Petrov and, in particular, the leader of the Tambov organized crime group Vladimir Barsukov (Kumarin), who in the 1990s was called the "night governor" and the "black governor" of St. Petersburg. For example, in the conversation of Petrov with the State Duma deputy Mikhail Glushchenko ( was arrested in Russia in 2009 and in 2015 sentenced to 17 years in prison for organizing the murder of Galina Starovotova. -NT) of July 2, 2007 Glushchenko tells Petrov that we need to meet with “Kolya” (Nikolai Aulov) to solve the problem of the “Mesnary”. The prosecutor Grinda believes that Vladimir Barsukov (Kumarin), who lost his hand as a result of the attempt in 1994. He was one of Petrov’s main competitors on the issue of control over the gangster Petersburg. Kumarin was arrested in August 2007. And on August 26, immediately after this arrest, in a conversation between Leonid Khristoforov (according to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, presented by the prosecutor's office of Spain, the “accomplice of Petrov” and one of the leaders of the “Malyshevsk organized crime group”) and Gennady Petrov last reported that “Kumarin was detained by order of the“ tsar ”. The investigation believes that the “king” of the accomplices called Vladimir Putin.
For two years of telephone conversation control operations-from the end of 2006 to April 2008-General Aulov talked 78 times with Gennady Petrov on the phone, of which the auls were the initiator of the call 74 times, it was also mentioned in other calls of members of the group
Here are a few more examples of conversations with the participation of Nikolai Aulov. For example, on September 15, 2007, Aulov called Petrov twice with a report: he sent several “trusted guys” to conduct a “very serious conversation” with “outcasts” and “garbage”, who want to harm Petrov. On November 9, 2007, Khristoforov called Petrov-to remind him to call his friend and congratulate him on receiving a new star (we are talking about an increase in the rank of Aulov-he was awarded the title of Lieutenant General). On March 6, 2008, Petrov, in an interview with Leonid Khristoforov, says that the papers that Nikolai Nikolaevich (Auls) are waiting for, then to talk with the head of the customs so that they have no problems in the port, because now the new boss and add that there were no problems with another management (p. 65 of the indictment).
We emphasize: now Colonel General Aulov is the current deputy director of the FSKN. The role of Aulov “allows us to conclude that Petrov’s grouping is clearly integrated into the police institutes of Russia,” the indirect imprisonment of the Spanish prosecutor's office said. The New Times sent a request with a request for a commentary to the press service of the FSKN, as well as directly in the name of General Aulov, but did not receive an answer.
Promotion "Tolik"
The nomination by the candidate for the post of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev - December 10, 2007 - occurred in the midst of "Spanish wiretaps". On this day, Nikolai Aulov called Petrov - to find out if he was in the know. Petrov replied that the news was somewhat unexpected, but everything is in order, in particular, “Tolik” (the speech, according to Jose Grinda and Juan Carrau, is about Anatoly Serdyukov, at that time - the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation) will now remain in his place, and with another candidate he would have to leave. ( “Another candidate”, as you know, was Sergey Ivanov, who was replaced by the Ministry of Defense in February 2007 in February 2007.-NT. ) On December 20, 2007, the son of Gennady Petrov Anton reports that he “called“ first ”(we are talking about Serdyukov), taking advantage of the fact that he was in Moscow, because“ Glory ”(Vladislav Reznik) asked him to transfer one letter from him from his name ".
Spanish prosecutor's office in the case of "Russian
Mafia ": The indictment was transferred
To the court on October 19, 2015 to increase
The Grinda prosecutor in an interview with NT correspondent noted: “In relation to Serdyukov himself, as you know, there was recently a consequence in Russia. Corruption was revealed. ( On December 6, 2013, the SK of the Russian Federation charged Serdyukov under Article 293, part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - negligence, which entailed causing major damage. - NT.) But we knew about his corruption ties in 2008 and constantly transferred this information to the prosecutor's office of Russia. ” Grinda regrets that this information was not used in Russia. At the end of October 2015, the media reported that the former Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Serdyukov (the investigation in his case was terminated in February 2014, as he fell under an amnesty as a “defender of the Fatherland”) took a high post in the state corporation Rostec - became a curator of aviation assets with a revenue of about 350 billion rubles. per year.
Roof
Spanish investigators spent a lot of effort to understand the degree of proximity of certain officials mentioned in wiretaps to the figures of the Russian mafia in Spain.
Here is what the prosecutor Grinda says: “There is a whole gradation of these ties with Gennady Petrov and his criminal group. At Bastrykin they are weak, Nikolai Aulov is average, Serdyukov is also medium, and with a Reznik - just very close. “As for Vladislav Reznik, we consider it part of Petrov’s organization, since it occupies an important place in the hierarchy. As for others, we believe that Petrov uses them, corrupt to gain access to power trains. This is the main reason why we blame Reznik in Spain and do not blame other people. Because the fact of corruption takes place in Russia and should be investigated in Russia. ”
In addition, “the inaction of the Russian authorities regarding Aulov and Sobolevsky can lead to separate cases against them in Spain in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention against Corruption and Transnational Crime,” the Spanish prosecutor’s office sent to court in May 2015 (a report preceding the indictment, a kind of expanded resume of the criminal case, is also at the disposal of the criminal case. Nt).
“In relation to Serdyukov himself, as you know, recently there was a consequence in Russia. Corruption was revealed. We knew about his corruption ties in 2008 and constantly transmitted this information to the Russian Prosecutor's Office "
The weak side of the Spanish investigation lies in the fact that by the time of conducting wiretaps “the connection of criminal authorities with Russia's officials have already developed, and from where they arose, we cannot explain,” says Jose Grinda, once again insisting on “investigation in Russia”.
We will try to make up for the gap.
All the acquaintances of Gennady Petrov in the power, which are mentioned in the indictment of the Spanish prosecutor’s office, were born, studied or made a career in St. Petersburg. Two of the security forces mentioned in the case, who are considered to be the liaison of Petrov, went through the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Central Federal District: Nikolai Aulov and Alexander Bastrykin. Former deputy head of the UK, Igor Sobolevsky and Alexander Bastrykin, are classmates of Vladimir Putin at the Law Faculty of LSU. In 1991-1993, Victor Zubkov was the deputy chairman of the Committee on External Relations of the St. Petersburg City Hall, led by Vladimir Putin. Anatoly Serdyukov in 2000 became Viktor Zubkov’s son -in -law, made a career in the tax department, and then to the Ministry of Defense.
Witnesses interrogated by Spanish prosecutors also pointed to the role of the KGB-FSB in the organization of various St. Petersburg criminal communities, in particular the Tambov criminal group. About this during the interrogation on March 9, 2007 (excerpts are at the disposal of NT) was said by Mikhail Monastyrsky, well -known in narrow circles, now deceased antiquar and former State Duma deputy. “They ( St. Petersburg bandits. - NT) will end when Putin ceases to hold the presidency,” Monastyrsky said. He died shortly after the testimony, his death is recognized as an accident.
The Spanish journalist Pablo Mugnos, who is familiar with the materials of the Spanish investigation and the author of the book “The Word of the Thief: the Russian Mafia in Spain” (2010), calls Petrov, like Kumarin, “cooperating with the KGB-FSB” since the Soviet era. However, the Spanish prosecutors can neither confirm nor refute these rumors, since the “prosecutor's office of Russia does not confirm this data ...” says Jose Grinda.
* Gennady Petrov, Leningradets, born in 1947. He was repeatedly convicted, in 1987 he was released and joined the "Malyshevsky" group. In the 1990s, he became one of the largest St. Petersburg "authoritative businessmen", combining business and crime. In 1998-1999, he was one of the co-owners of the famous Bank "Russia". Together with Malyshev, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he unfolded a business in Spain
** Alexander Malyshev, Leningradets, born in 1958, under Soviet power was twice convicted of murder. In the late 1980s, he created his own organized crime group in St. Petersburg, with which the Tambovs competed. In 1992, he was arrested, in 1995 he was convicted for 2.5 years for illegal storage and wearing of weapons and released, since he had already left for a pre-trial detention center. As a result of numerous gangster showdowns of the 1990s, he lost most of his influence in St. Petersburg and moved to Spain, where he continued to engage in criminal business. In 2008, during the Troika operation, he was arrested by the Spanish police, in 2010 he was released. For five years he lived under house arrest in his house in Malaga. In the spring of 2015 he returned to Russia
*** Nikolai Aulov, born in 1952, in the Leningrad police since 1983, is considered one of the founders of the St. Petersburg RUBOP, in the 1980-1990s he densely engaged in the "Malyshevtsy" and "Tambovtsy", in 1999 he was wounded by a sniper, after recovery he was transferred to Moscow, one of the co-authors of the epic "Gangster Petersburg". Since 2011, Colonel General Police
**** Igor Sobolevsky, born in 1952, studied at the legal faculty of LSU along with V.V. Putin and A.I. Bastrykin, in the late 1980s he was a lawyer in St. Petersburg power structures (Gorky, Executive Committee, Lension), in 1999–2000 he was the vice-governor of St. Petersburg, and later engaged in advocacy practice
First published in NT No. 40 dated November 28, 2015