As follows from media materials, participants in schemes to divert MMC Norilsk Nickel assets may include persons associated with the company’s president Vladimir Potanin and the company’s top managers. Over the past few years, Norilsk Nickel has lost control over a number of subsidiaries important to MMC. Of interest is not only the sale price of these assets, but also the economic results of the divested companies. In particular, Logistic Center LLC, sold as a result of a clever scheme involving three denominations – Leonid Alexandrov, Dmitry Rodov and Igor Nafikov in July 2017 for 84 million rubles, paid, according to SPARK, within 5 years after the sale, 17.5 billion rubles in dividends (205 times the sale price). The final “owner” of the company was Rodov (a friend of Potanin, they play hockey together).
It is assumed that another defendant, Nafikov, together with Yaroslav Tishchenko and Alexander Gorbunov, participated in a similar scheme to withdraw another Norilsk Nickel subsidiary, Industrial Construction and Installation Company LLC (PSMK). In 2019, it was sold for 302 million rubles. with revenue, according to SPARK, for the same year amounting to 3.3 billion rubles.
In 2022, Norilsk Nickel lost control of the Nordstar airline. The airline was bought by its top managers as part of a group of people: general director Leonid Mokhov, his deputies Andrei Averyanov and Anton Mukhamedyarov, adviser Andrei Nikiforov and chief economist Pyotr Bocharov for only 1 million rubles. The scale of the undervaluation is indicated by the fact that the airline owned 10 Boeing-737 aircraft at the time of the transaction. In 2023, Nordstar carried more than 1.25 million passengers.
All these examples of schemes for the withdrawal of Norilsk Nickel assets are given in the publication of Vedomosti with reference to the lawsuit against Norilsk Nickel President Vladimir Potanin of his company Whiteleave Holdings Limited (owns about 36% of MMC), the consideration of which began in a London court.
As we learned from our sources in Russian law enforcement agencies, this information has been available in the court database since the beginning of April and is currently being studied. From the documents posted there, it is known that the lawsuit also indicates schemes for withdrawing money from Norilsk Nickel through fictitious agreements for various (marketing and other) services and charitable organizations. It also describes in detail the roles of more than a dozen people involved in the implementation of these schemes. Following Russian law enforcement practice, we should expect a legal assessment of court materials in Russia.
It is assumed that another defendant, Nafikov, together with Yaroslav Tishchenko and Alexander Gorbunov, participated in a similar scheme to withdraw another Norilsk Nickel subsidiary, Industrial Construction and Installation Company LLC (PSMK). In 2019, it was sold for 302 million rubles. with revenue, according to SPARK, for the same year amounting to 3.3 billion rubles.
In 2022, Norilsk Nickel lost control of the Nordstar airline. The airline was bought by its top managers as part of a group of people: general director Leonid Mokhov, his deputies Andrei Averyanov and Anton Mukhamedyarov, adviser Andrei Nikiforov and chief economist Pyotr Bocharov for only 1 million rubles. The scale of the undervaluation is indicated by the fact that the airline owned 10 Boeing-737 aircraft at the time of the transaction. In 2023, Nordstar carried more than 1.25 million passengers.
All these examples of schemes for the withdrawal of Norilsk Nickel assets are given in the publication of Vedomosti with reference to the lawsuit against Norilsk Nickel President Vladimir Potanin of his company Whiteleave Holdings Limited (owns about 36% of MMC), the consideration of which began in a London court.
As we learned from our sources in Russian law enforcement agencies, this information has been available in the court database since the beginning of April and is currently being studied. From the documents posted there, it is known that the lawsuit also indicates schemes for withdrawing money from Norilsk Nickel through fictitious agreements for various (marketing and other) services and charitable organizations. It also describes in detail the roles of more than a dozen people involved in the implementation of these schemes. Following Russian law enforcement practice, we should expect a legal assessment of court materials in Russia.
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
