From prison to offshore

Recognized as a fraudster and convicted businessman Vadim Varshavsky can bankrupt Russian strategically enterprises, taking money offshore.

The Editorial Office of The Moscow Post got interesting documents telling where money could be withdrawn from the bankrupt strategic enterprise - ZAO Novoorlovsky Mining and Processing Plant, which for many years was engaged in the development of tungsten ores, and other assets.

The Moscow Post correspondent understood offshore intricacies.

Warsaw Multi-Approach

Recently, GOK filed a lawsuit against the Cypriot Tebay Enterprises Limited demanding to pay 210 million rubles. There are no details yet. However, it is known that the Swedish company NM Nord Investeringar AB and Estonian Nordmet, as well as six individuals, including citizens of Estonia, Monaco and ex-State Duma deputy Vadim Warsaw, are among the persons on whom the interim asset manager of the enterprise demanded to impose subsidiary liability for the obligations of GOK.

The latter is a repeated hero of investigations by The Moscow Post, recently imprisoned in connection with a case of fraud with funds from Petrokommerts Bank for 2.6 billion rubles. The investigation established that Varshavsky appropriated the money that the bank allocated to him as a loan. Among his "adventures" were tax fraud, for which he was also given a term.

It seems that these are not all cases for which Varshavsky can be attracted.

According to a source from The Moscow Post, money from the GOK by its beneficiaries (among whom he calls Warsaw) could be withdrawn through offshore companies. Moreover, with the participation of officials from unfriendly countries.

He draws attention to Alexander Viktorovich Klimenko - this is the Ukrainian ex-minister of income and fees, honorary leader of the political party "Uspіshna kraїna." It is he, according to the whistleblower, who allegedly stands behind offshore Dardo Trading Ltd and Jenifex Participation Limited. In which "through the Liechtenstein IDP FOUNDATION issued for his father, $788 million" slipped through, "which could be related to the Russian" Amurmetall, "GOK, and Perm" Nytve "- the source writes.

Chained together

Amurmetal (part of Amurstal), by the way, is the only electrometallurgical enterprise in the Russian Far East for the smelting of steel, followed by conversion into long and sheet products and products of further redistribution. With the owners there, too, not everything is clear. The controlling stake of the parent Amurstal belongs to the Moscow Armada JSC, whose co-owners are simply indicated as "citizens of Russia." It is known that in 2007 Varshavsky negotiated the acquisition of this plant.

The Nytven Metallurgical Plant is one of the oldest enterprises in the Western Urals, founded in 1756. Produces coin blanks, ribbons, sleeves, cutlery. RT-Capital (part of Rostec Group of Companies) owns less than 25% of the shares of the metzavod, the rest are owned by Cyprus Unicope Ltd, Deraven Ltd and Stemvelko Ltd. According to Kommersant, in 2008 Nytva was part of Estar, which founded Warsaw.

All these Cypriot companies may be directly related to the former member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, a representative from the executive body of state power of the Khabarovsk Territory, Alexander Gennadievich Shishkin, the former owner of the Amurmetal plant. He, according to the source, also owned 68.44% of the Perm "Nytva." The latter in 2009 was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Nytva's bankruptcy may have been deliberate. According to information from the website of the Perm Territory court, due to the actions of the management, the company in 2012-2013 was forced to pay off debt under surety agreements for TD Estar LLC and Cyberlink Limited (Estar structure). Estar, as we remember, founded Warsaw. Following this logic, Cyberlink Limited is also most likely its structure.

If we combine the above facts into one picture, it turns out that from Nytva, Amurmetall and Novoorlovsky GOK could have been withdrawing funds in favor of foreign offshore companies, potentially associated with Varshavsky and Shishkin, for the most part, through credit schemes. And he could also help the Ukrainian ex-politician Klimenko. By the way, in 2012 it became known that Shishkin had long been invested in the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market.

Double bottom

Let's go further. In 1995, Varshavsky, in partnership with Mir Bank, established the Mir Invest investment company. A controlling stake in Mir Invest was bought by Transrail, which was associated with the late Minister of Railways Nikolai Aksenenko, who was accused of embezzlement.

Further, according to the source, Mir Invest allegedly fell into the management of Berycan Limited through a long chain of legal entities. And this is a company that acquired 100% of the Istil Cyprus metallurgical holding, which owns Istil (Ukraine) Mini-Metallurgical Plant CJSC and other assets in Ukraine. Moreover, she bought from Zahur Muhammad (owner of ISTIL) and Metalrussia Investment.

The latter was allegedly part of the structure of Berycan Limited. This means that the purchase was made, in fact, within the company. So several million dollars were "laundered"? Moreover, according to the source, the Rusal structure of Oleg Deripaska - EN + Corporate Services Limited allocated money for the purchase. Approximately also, according to the informant, Varshavsky allegedly acquired the Alphasteel steel mini-plant in the UK.

Another former company where Varshavsky was the general director is Rostov Metallurgical Plant, also in the process of bankruptcy. And it is registered on the Dutch offshore. Moreover, his share in the pledge from Promsvyazbank. Only it is unlikely that he will be able to get payments from the persons behind the company.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

By the way, the plant still has a large state contract with the Mechel structure under execution. It seems that in this way another 125 million rubles were withdrawn.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

In addition to all these factories and enterprises, Varshavsky can also own DonBioTech LLC through offshore companies, which he headed until 2018. Now the company is registered at RUSFERM LIMITED. Part of the share of the enterprise belongs to the structure of Rosselkhozbank. The firm is deeply unprofitable.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

So we see that despite the fact that Mr. Varshavsky is now in the place of detention of criminals, he can steal Russian factories and withdraw funds offshore through his trusted people.

And he may not have anyone in his assistants, but a former member of the Federation Council committee on defense - Alexander Shishkin, and a citizen of an unfriendly state, Alexander Klimenko. And this already threatens not only the state budget, but also national security.

Just the other day there was a powerful fire at the Moliren LLC plant in Roshal in the Moscow region. This plant, through a number of structures, belongs to Nordmet JSC. The latter is the very Estonian offshore, which we first talked about, that the asset manager of the Novoorlovsky GOK places demands on him to impose subsidiary liability.

This means that the trace of Warsaw "and CO" can be traced in the history of "Moliren." What happened in Roshal may be repeated in other corners of Russia, where there are assets that potentially have an attitude towards the ex-deputy.

As they say - when there is nothing more to "crush" - it is easier to destroy to the ground.