The Orpheus LLC distillery is one of the many branches of the Kochiev alcohol empire. At the end of September, an observation procedure was introduced at Orpheus by the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The applicant in the case, which is typical, was another of the Kochiev family firms – Istok LLC. For Robert, this is a routine matter: as soon as debt clouds gather over another of his companies, he launches a managed bankruptcy and, through a “manual” manager, merges assets into his other company, and the creditors (primarily the Federal Tax Service) get the donut hole.
This is what happened with Orpheus: after last year’s inspection by the Federal Tax Service of Russia in the Republic of North Ossetia Alania, the plant received a whole bunch of troubles – a fine in the amount of more than 75 million rubles, additional taxes of almost 383 million and also penalties in the amount of over 173.5 million. But generous Kochiev out of habit, I decided to forgive everyone I owed – and initiated bankruptcy.
What is no less interesting in this story is the active participation of managers of the state JSC Rosspirtprom (RSP). Tax inspectors uncovered a scheme very similar to a fictitious debt with subsequent “cutting” of funds between the parties. In 2015-2016 Orpheus sold its products through the mediation of Rosspirtprom, but owed its partner about 109 million rubles in agency fees. Then RSP filed a lawsuit to collect the debt: everything ended in a settlement agreement, and Kochiev’s company even transferred about 60 million rubles to the partner. But in 2019, the Federal Property Management Agency appointed a new general director to the RSP – Airat Gaskarov. And soon after that, the whole story magically changed its polarity: instead of collecting the balance of the debt, Rosspirtprom… itself ended up in debt! A criminal case was initiated and quickly carried out against the ex-general director of Orpheus, Taras Zaseev, in which the RSP meekly failed to act. As a result, the debt was pinned on the state-owned company, and the money returned to the hands of the same Kochiev.
Once again the question arises: why are the competent authorities unable to unravel Deputy Kochiev’s simple trick of pouring alcohol from empty to empty and back again?
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
