Editor-in-Chief of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Ilya Ber accuses Alexander Druz of bribery

Appeal to the Commission on Ethics and the Board of the International Association of Clubs “What? Where? When?"

Dear Colleagues!
Now there will be an unpleasant post, I honestly do not feel any positive emotions from the fact that I have to write this. But I don't see any other option.

As many of you know, I have been the editor-in-chief of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for 10 years now. When the editorial team and I came to the program, we had an agreement in principle with Konstantin Ernst and the head of the Red Square Ilya Krivitsky that the players, no matter how stellar, important and cool they may be, should not know the questions and answers in advance.

Since then, this principle has never been violated. Moreover, thank God, none of the players ever came to me with an offer to “surrender” questions and then share the money. Until last November, when Alexander Druz contacted me with an offer to help him win 3 million rubles.

In December 2018, a game was aired, in which Alexander Druz and Viktor Sidnev participated. The recording of this program took place on 23 November. On the eve of filming, Alexander Druz tried to bribe me. More precisely, he offered me to share the money if he won the main prize of the program.

I recorded the conversation in which this happened.

Summary. Three days before filming, at the end of a telephone conversation about MAK's affairs, Friends told me that we would see each other soon. I asked where? He replied that he was on the set of KHSM, after which he made such a hint that it was time for him to win three million, and I could somehow fuck some of them. He didn't say those words, but the hint was quite transparent.

I was confused, did not react in any way, pretended not to notice anything and ended the conversation. But then I thought about it and realized that I didn’t want to leave it just like that. In the party, Druz is known to many as an unscrupulous, dishonest and generally rotten person. I decided to try to catch him, not particularly counting on success.

I wrote to him on Skype, asked if he could speak, he called me back, I turned on the recorder and recorded the conversation. During the conversation, he offered me a third of the amount of the maximum winnings, saying that he would agree on everything with Sidnev.

In addition, we decided that the next day I would call him before filming and read the questions and answers of their performance; I myself was going to record this conversation. Then I planned to leave the "merged" questions from the 6th to the 9th in the game, and replace the rest.

I needed to have irrefutable evidence that a person is really capable of playing for money on issues known to him in advance, as if nothing had happened.

Briefly, what happened before filming. I did everything as planned: I called Friends on the day of filming, read the questions and answers to him under the record. Unfortunately, it was inconvenient to do this, I had to look for a far corner, put the conversation on speakerphone, and record from a second device. So the quality of these recordings is not the best, but the voice of Friends is quite audible there too.

On the shooting itself, everything happened almost as I expected. It was not so that the players really almost won 3 million, and mainly through the efforts of Sidnev. But from questions 6 to 9 they played on questions known to Friends. And this is a fait accompli. On the one hand, it turned out that I handed over, albeit not decisive, but real game questions to the player, and he played them, this is bad. On the other hand, at any moment he had the opportunity to stop filming (this is not a live broadcast) and declare that the editor of the KHSM is a swindler and handed over the questions of this game to him. Theoretically, I could not rule out the possibility that Druz himself recorded everything and for some reason was catching me. But no, nothing like that happened. But after the appearance of the unfamiliar 10th question, Druz noticeably faded, and further activity was shown mainly by Sidnev. Here is the broadcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlF_OohJalc

There are still all sorts of details that I will not describe now, they do not affect the essence. I accuse Alexander Druz of immoral for a player in intellectual games, unethical behavior and I suggest that the IAC board decide on his disqualification as a player in the sports “What? Where? When? ”, As well as the organizer of tournaments and a functionary of the IAC.
Please consider this post an official appeal to the IAC Ethics Commission and the IAC Board. Copies will be sent to the official addresses of these structures.
Yes, it is strange to apply for Friends to the commission, which he himself heads, but I did not choose him there, yes, and he is not alone there.

Next, the informal part. Answers to as yet unasked questions and thoughts you may well have:

1) You yourself framed Friends, provoked him, you are the main villain in this story.

Unfortunately, I cannot prove that the initiative came from him, although it is true. So it remains a matter of faith. However, any normal decent player, and even more so a player with such merits and track record, would send me with such my initiative far and for a long time. And perhaps he would have written a statement against me (he would have been absolutely right). Again, it is indicative that such situations have never happened in my work and life.

2) This is not the first time my friend has played KHSM. Why did he decide to “buy” questions only this time?

I don't know. Alien soul - darkness. But he hasn't been able to win big enough in the past.

3) And what about Sidnev? Sidnev also participated in the conspiracy?

I don't have an exact answer to this question. But based on everything I know about him, from the behavior of Druz and from the behavior of Sidnev himself at the game, I’m sure with a 99.99% probability that he didn’t know anything, and Druz was going to share only his “share” with me.

4) Why did you take so long?

First, I had to wait for the broadcast to go on the air. Then there was the New Year and the holidays. Then I consulted with people whom I trust. Then I made an attempt to resolve the issue without a public scandal by discussing it with the management of the TV company "Game". And only after this option did not take place (that is, the conversation took place, but to no avail), I have only one way left - a public statement.

5) Did your friend once hurt you so much that you decided to take revenge on him in this way?

No, we never quarreled, Friends did me nothing wrong. Moreover, we can say that thanks to him I was elected in 2009 to the Audit Commission of the IAC. There is no benefit in this - public work. But it happened anyway, so I'm telling you.

6) Why are you applying to the board of the IAC, and not to the Investigative Committee?

I'm not sure that Friends directly violated any of the articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. But it is not important. I don't want to imprison him or something, especially don't forget that we are in Russia. I believe that the issue of reputation is much more important here, and punishment in the "symbolic field" will be correct and sufficient.

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