Translated material
Captain from America
Card " Country of Friends "
Captain from America.
Investigation about what the family of hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisova received an apartment in Trump Hotel
Project team, September 16, 2020
The family of an outstanding hockey player, and subsequently civil servant Vyacheslav Fetisova bought a chic apartment in Trump Hotel under very interesting circumstances. As the Minister of Sports of Russia, Fetisov participated in the creation of a sports lottery, which laid the foundation for the multi -billion dollar gambling empire of his friend Alexander Warsaw. And he, in turn, through a confusing scheme transferred $ 7 million to the former minister shortly before the purchase of apartments in New York.
The godfather of Soviet hockey
In the 90s, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, one of the first and most striking transfers of the Russian hockey was the move to New Jersey the defender of CSKA and the captain of the USSR national team Vyacheslav Fetisov. Soon, the number of Russian hockey players in the National Hockey League began to grow rapidly. The media have repeatedly written that young hockey players, having moved over the ocean, came across there with interest from the Russian Mafia. A similar plot even formed the basis of the famous film “Brother 2”, where the hero of Sergei Bodrov goes to Chicago to help his friend - the NHL player who was related to the mafia.
The name of Fetisov also surfaced in such a context, he was even called the “godfather” in the press. However, the hockey player and the NHL itself have always denied the connection with crime. Fetisov himself claims that they gave him a nickname, because in the 80s he was the captain of the national team. Be that as it may, but during the overseas career, the future Russian official became friends with at least one famous native of the USSR who settled in New York, says Fetisova's friend. This is a businessman Alexander Warsaw-a naturalized American who lived, like Fetisov, in New Jersey.
In the 90s, the businessman founded the New York Motors Corporation on the eastern coast of the United States, and in 1997, Avilon’s website said, already in Russia opened a company, which ultimately grew up in Avilon, one of the largest car dealers in Russia-primarily thanks to generous state contracts with law enforcement agencies.
By the end of the zero 90% of the Mercedes, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the FSO, the UK, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Presidential Administration were supplied by companies associated with Warsaw, and calculated in 2010 the New Gazeta.
From 2006, to date, Avilon has sold cars to the state for 28.5 billion rubles. Such a success of Avilon, as the media suggested, can be explained, among other things, informal contacts with high -ranking security forces. One of the partners of Warsaw’s auto business - Kamo Avagumyan - in Armenia was an assistant to the Prosecutor General and the official representative of the Armenian Prosecutor General in Russia. He, along with the son of the former head of the Prosecutor General of the Prosecutor General Chaika, invested in the hotel business in Greece. Avagumyan explained that he was invested in the hotel after the proposal of the business partner Samvel Karapetyan, and does not conduct personal affairs with relatives of the employees of the Prosecutor General.
In 2019, the founder of the Rolf car dealer Sergey Petrov, who had already left Russia by that time due to a criminal case against him, said that for six months, until the first searches, Warsaw “called” him with a proposal to redeem the business. Later, Petrov said that Warsaw convinced him that he was not related to the criminal case.
NHL in Russian
Returning to Russia from the NHL in 2002, Fetisov quickly made a career as an official. It all started with the appointment of the head coach of the national team before the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Putin personally called him to this post. “It is known that Fetisov is extremely sympathetic to the President of Russia,” so after the Games in the Olympic Committee, they commented on the appointment of a hockey player by the head of state sports - the predecessor of the Ministry of Sports. Fetisov worked until 2008 in this post, after which he did not leave the civil service, first transferred to the Senator’s chair in the Federation Council, and then becoming a deputy of the State Duma, where he works now. Throughout his career, civil servant fetisis retained a strong relationship with Warsaw, recalls the acquaintance of Fetisov and Warsaw.
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The hobby of hockey, however, was not transmitted to Warsaw, two of his acquaintances recall, but friends found other common interests that bring a lot of money.
A close friend of the family
“Without Fetisov, not a single event [“ Avilon ”] was complete,” recall two acquaintances of the hockey player and Warsaw. The ex-chockey player regularly attends the discoveries of dealerships and birthdays of the largest car dealer of Russia. From some point, a financial component arose in these relations.
At the end of 2007, Fetisova’s wife, the former actress and model Ladlena, was employed by the deputy general director at Avtologisti LLC and Autologika-Trans LLC (both companies are included in the Warsaw Business) with a salary of 425 thousand rubles and 200 thousand rubles, “Project” got acquainted with a copy of the Treaty and the work book of Fetisova, which appears in the materials of the case, about the essence of the case, about the essence Read further - this is more than that of Warsaw himself, who formally held the president with a salary of 250 thousand rubles, follows from the materials of the criminal case, the essence of which is read on. According to the former manager of the company, Fetisov’s wife allegedly did not fulfill any duties in companies.
The Warsaw and Fetisovs were so close that it was the owner of Avilon that helped the hockey player family in financial matters. In 2008, Warsaw personally turned to Probusinessbank. “He called and asked to meet Fetisova and invite her to place the money that just lies on her accounts in Probesknishbank. He said that the Fetisov family, his and the co-owner of the Probusinessbank, Alexander Zheleznyak, are close friends, and everything needs to be done for them in the best possible way, as for himself, ”this is a quote from the affidenite (evaluated testimonies) of Natalia Abramova, who served as head of the VIP cliff in Probesbank. At the bank, she was a personal manager of Warsaw and Avilon Group of Companies.
“Warsaw and Fetisov - long -standing friends, spent a lot of time together, I often saw them in Avilon,” Zheleznyak confirmed in a conversation with the “project”. In 2015, the Probusinessbank recalled a license, and a criminal case of embezzlement was instituted against owners and managers. The owners of the bank, including Zheleznyak, went abroad, where they conduct litigation with the Russian authorities, proving that the destruction of the bank was politically motivated. Two years after the collapse of the bank, the Fetisov family also turned to the Russian prosecutor’s office, who accused the bank’s employee Abramova of fraud. Abramova rejects the accusations, and she stated her version in the Affin sheet and confirmed in a conversation with the “project”, providing documents on the financial relations of the bank with the Fetisov family as evidence.
Satisfying the request of Warsaw, Fetisova opened a funded account, follows from bank documents, copies of which are at the disposal of the “project”. This personal control of Warsaw on the finances of the Fetisov family was not limited. “A few days later, Warsaw called me and said that a large amount of funds would come to Ladlen. And he said that all these money should be placed under the bill of the Life collector agency under 18% of the per annum at the end of the term - just as Warsaw himself placed his funds at that time, ”says Abramov’s document, copies of bills with the history of operations are at the disposal of the“ project ”.
Thus began the long story of the replenishment of Fetisova’s accounts - out of 47 million rubles, at the request of Fetisova, 7 million were placed in her name, and 40 - in the name of her mother Valentina Rodionenko - and purchases of bills - copies of all documents are at the disposal of the “project”. By 2015, Fetisova and her mother had bills of 50 million rubles in total.
From the materials of this criminal case it becomes clear how closely the interests of the official and businessman are closely intertwined. Warsaw's generosity was not limited to the salary in Avilon: Fetisov’s wife, through companies associated with a businessman, received $ 7 million, which, presumably, went to buy an elite apartment in the Trump International Hotel & Tower skyscraper in New York.
The happy number of Fetisov
“In March 2009, Varshavsky called me and said that it was necessary to issue a loan of $ 7 million Fetisova, whose family was in close friendly relations with Warsaw. Moreover, he is ready to give his own money for issuing a loan. Which was subsequently carried out from the accounts of one of his Cypriot companies - KSPT Holdings Ltd, ”says Abramov in his testimony. "Project" traced this scheme according to the documents.
The loan was almost immediately transferred to the personal account of Ladeline and Vyacheslav Fetisov in the United States, follows from the words of Abramova and is confirmed by bank extracts that are at the disposal of the “project”.
The transaction had a complex structure that Abramova described in her affide, providing a copy of documents and correspondence as evidence. At the same time, as the bank issued $ 7 million with fetisov, Warsaw transferred the same amount from the accounts of his Cyprus company KSPT Holding LTD, in the official extract from the Cyprus business registry, Warsaw did not appear in the owners of the offshore. In 2016, the company was liquidated through two offshore companies Finbay Group Ltd. and biovilac ltd. On the Russian LLC Tekhpetsuniversal. With this money, the “Techspetsuniversal” was bought by Probusinessbank’s bill for $ 7 million and transferred it as a bail on a Fetisova loan. When it was time to extinguish the loan, $ 7 million on the chain returned to the offshore company Finbay Group Ltd., which eventually repaid the loan. “Project” traced this scheme for banking documents and correspondence of employees who are in the criminal case.
Despite the confusion, the meaning of the transaction was simple: $ 7 million were received at the Fetisov family in the United States, which, as the court documents say, belonged to the Cyprus company related to Warsaw two weeks ago. In August of the same year, the Fetisov family bought an apartment in Trump International Hotel & Tower on Manhattan - for $ 6.4 million three bedrooms and bathrooms, more than 200 square meters. m with a view of the central park. In 2012, Fetisov’s apartment rented for $ 27 thousand. per month - the announcement has been preserved in the Google cache. The Senator regularly indicated the wife of his wife in the United States with a similar area in the declaration, claiming that the wife of the wife appeared thanks to the sale of other real estate and her earnings “from friends”.
In 2016, the apartment from the declaration disappeared-it was re-registered to the 26-year-old daughter of Fetisov Anastasia-Aleksandra, who belongs and now-an extract for real estate is at the disposal of the “project”.
“I am not in the subject, I’m not a financier, I don’t comment on what I am not doing,” Fetisov answered the “project” to the question about the loan and purchase of the apartment, clarifying that he does not remember anything about the money received from the bank.
Was Warsaw's financial participation in the life of fetisov just a friendly gesture? Maybe, but it is important to understand that, being an official, just at that time Fetisov could do a lot in the interests of Warsaw's business.
Should the minister report close friendship with a businessman ↓
It was impossible to make formal claims to the Minister in connection with the work of his wife at that time, because Russian anti -corruption legislation did not exist then, explains Ilya Shumanov, deputy director of Transpenser Internet. The law on combating corruption was adopted at the end of 2008. “On the other hand, when the spouse’s minister works in the commercial structure of his friend, and subsequently this friend becomes the beneficiary of the sphere that the minister is responsible for - this, of course, should fall under ethical restrictions. Here the minister could notify his personal interest, ”says Shumanov.
Bingo!
A summer train, two in the appearance of simple fishermen choose an expensive yacht from the catalog, sitting immediately women inquire to the golden earrings, and the company of the soldier is considering a new business jet. “Get ready for the better,” so in 2008, the federal channels advertised the return of the state sports lottery. The Gosloto was essentially repeated the Soviet Sportloto, whose income went to finance the Olympiad-80. Then Sportloto almost half ensured the financing of the Moscow Games, wrote in his book the notes of the Olympic Treasury, the chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Olympiad-80 Vladimir Koval.
The organizers of the modern analogue of the Soviet lottery had similar goals. Gosloto from 2006 to 2015 was supposed to bring the budget almost 27 billion rubles, according to the report of the Accounts Chamber. The press service of the lottery on launch promised “more than 30 billion rubles” until 2013. In 2007, Russia received the right to hold the Olympics in Sochi, and a year later the State Duma deputy Irina Rodnina said that part of the construction will be paid just by income from the lottery.
“The lottery will be successful when it will be transparent and socially understandable. <...> This is what our sport will finance today, ”Fetisov said on the launch of Gosloto. He headed by the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports (Rossport) was disbanded 20 days before the launch of the lottery. He was replaced by the Ministry of Sports, led by Vitaly Mutko.
These plans were not destined to come true. The promised “transparent” lottery did not survive to the Olympics in the original form, having gone through an opaque change of owners and bankruptcy, and the budget of the games themselves eventually switched to 1.5 trillion rubles - such an assessment of the total financing of the Olympiad was given by the chairman of the Bank of VTB 24 Mikhail Zadornov. Fetisov’s friends actually became real winners of the lottery.
"Gosloto" can be considered the brainchild of the ex-chockey player. It was conceived by Rossport back in 2005, when the department headed by Fetisov received the authority to hold such draws.
In Russia, the organizers of the lotteries are departments that on a competitive basis choose private companies - lottery operators. These operators are engaged in the sale of tickets, the payment of winnings, earn themselves and return part of the money to the state budget. The first circulation of Gosloto was released in 2008, its operator became the company "Orglot". It was established by Gazprombank in 2006, who left the business before launch-due to economic unprofitability, the Accounts Chamber wrote.
In 2007, 49% of the lotteries were under the control of the Little Right Sport company, whose real beneficiary remained unknown for a long time, although the market participants suspected that Warsaw could stand behind the company, in particular, Kommersant in 2009. He himself always denied participation in the lottery business.
However, this is not so, follows from the documents studied by the “project”. In 2010, 100% of the “Converses Sports” turned under the control of the same Cyprus offshore KSPT Holdings LTD, from which the Fetisata loan was paid from the accounts of Warsaw.
Another 51% of Orglot from Gazprombank, as the media wrote, was acquired in 2008 by the Hungarian developer Shantor Demyan, who was already engaged in lotteries in many countries. Soon, a corporate conflict broke out between the owners of Orglot, as a result of which Gosloto in 2011 completely passed under the control of the structures of the business partner and a friend of Warsaw Armen Sargsyan.
"Olympic" Warsaw
In addition to the lottery, Warsaw and Fetisov had at least another project at the junction of business and sports, recalls the acquaintance of Warsaw and Fetisov. This is the Olympets park, built in Khimki near Moscow for national teams in front of the Olympics-80.
In 2008, Avilon Plaza controlled by Warsaw, became the owner of the hotel. По словам знакомого Фетисова и Варшавского, друзья обсуждали возможность создать в нем базу, где останавливались бы и тренировались спортивные сборные, которые туда мог бы направлять Росспорт, подчиненный тогда Фетисову , рассказывают двое человек из окружения Фетисова и Варшавского. Холдинг «Авилон» и сейчас владеет отелем — 100% ООО «Олимпиец» принадлежит Avilon Holdings Limited.
Фетисов всегда был в курсе лотерейного бизнеса Варшавского , утверждают трое знакомых Варшавского. Когда речь заходила о «Гослото», «все в „Авилоне“ понимали, что курирует его именно министр», рассказывает бывший сотрудник компании.
Даже офис «Гослото» находился в «Авилон-плазе» на Волгоградском проспекте в Москве. В «Гослото» перешли на работу сотрудники «Авилона» , рассказал источник «Проекта», близкий к руководству «Авилона», а пост президента в 2009 году занял Армен Саркисян — бизнес-партнер и старый друг Варшавского. Именно Саркисян в результате масштабного передела лотерейного бизнеса станет лицом лотерейного рынка в России.
В июне 2014 года был принят закон, запретивший все частные лотереи. После зачистки рынка из 455 лотерей на нем остались лишь государственные и международные. Их организаторами выступают Министерство спорта и Министерство финансов. Операторы и распространители которых, как неоднократно писали СМИ, контролируются Саркисяном: оператор лотерей Минспорта — АО «ГСЛ» с выручкой в 2019 году 54,5 млрд рублей, оператор лотерей Минфина — ООО «Спортлото» с выручкой 2,3 млрд рублей и распространитель лотерейных билетов — АО «Технологическая компания «Центр» (работает под брендом «Столото») . К концу 3 квартала 2020 года отчисления в бюджет России составили более 14 млрд рублей, сообщили в пресс-службе «Столото». Все они расположены все в том же бизнес-центре Варшавского на Волгоградском проспекте. Из дружеского проекта министра Фетисова и бизнесмена Варшавского по созданию одной государственной лотереи выросла частная империя с многомиллиардным оборотом.
«Ничего не могу сказать», — ответил Фетисов на вопрос «Проекта» о «Гослото» и Варшавском, после чего повесил трубку.
Варшавский через помощницу попросил отправить вопросы в пресс-службу «Авилона». На момент выхода заметки там на них не ответили.