Shadow banker Alexei Kulikov requested freedom

Kulikov filed a petition for parole, he did not spend a day in the colony from a ten-year term.
28.02.2020
Rosbalt
Origin source
One of the largest shadow bankers, Alexei Kulikov, filed a motion for release on parole. Despite the appointed term of more than 10 years in prison, he did not stay in the colony for a day. Kulikov was in jail and actively cooperated with the investigation. In freedom, he will be able to meet his good friend - the former deputy chief of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Moscow Denis Nikandrov.

Alexey Kulikov was arrested in 2016, since then he has been sentenced twice. Once - for the theft of 3.2 billion rubles from Promsberbank, and the second time - for embezzlement of the insurance company Oranta. The Podolsky court determined the deadline in the fall of 2019, by partial absorption it exceeded 10 years in prison. But Kulikov didn’t end up in the colony itself - he submitted a request to serve his term in the household squad of pre-trial detention center No. 5, which was satisfied. Moreover, even the investigators needed a banker “at hand”, since he gave testimonies on various matters. According to Russian law, one day in the isolation ward is equivalent to 1.5 days in the colony, so recently Kulikov received the right to parole, which he immediately took advantage of. The corresponding petition filed with the Golovinsky court of the capital will be considered on February 28.

Alexei Kulikov entered into a pre-trial agreement as part of an investigation into the theft of funds from Promsberbank and Oranta insurance company. This happened at a time when a close friend of the banker and ex-employee of the Directorate of the FSB of the Russian Federation Dmitry Frolov was arrested (now he is in custody on corruption charges with his successor as head of the banking department of the FSB of the Russian Federation, they found money during searches of the colonels and valuables of 12 billion rubles). According to sources in law enforcement agencies, in addition to testimony against the shadow banker Ivan Myazin (also involved in embezzlement of Promsberbank funds), Kulikov told many interesting things about Frolov.

The agency's interlocutors express the opinion that it was thanks to Frolov that Kulikov could evade responsibility for many years. In particular, in the case when he became one of the main persons involved in the case of embezzlement of billions of rubles from the budget under the guise of a VAT refund. Then the Investigative Committee of the Investigation Department Denis Nikandrov investigated this case, who recently was released after serving a term for receiving a bribe for the release of “authority” Andrei Kochuykov (Italian).

According to the IC of the Russian Federation, of the 4.4 billion rubles stolen from the budget in 2009-2010 under the guise of a VAT refund, 790 million rubles were initially transferred to one front structure, and then were transferred to Diamond and Alfamed accounts in “ Creditimpex Bank, which belonged to Kulikov. Then the money under the “fake” construction contracts was sent to Turkey. Diamond and Alfamed, as believed in the RF IC, were the so-called transit firms by which funds of dubious origin were sent from the Russian Federation abroad. For several years, a total of 25 billion rubles passed through them. The Diamond company was once created (and then re-registered several times) with the participation of the owner of the Tax Consultant company, Jan Zelenkevich. He was also related to other companies involved in the transit of money stolen from the budget. According to operatives, Kulikov controlled the entire transit channel. Permission for a VAT refund was issued by the IFTS No. 28, which was then led by Olga Stepanova.
When the investigators became interested in thefts, amazing events began to occur. Zelenkevich died under strange circumstances. And Kulikov, having visited a number of interrogations by Nikandrov, suddenly turned into a voluntary assistant to the investigation. Other participants in the investigation said that Kulikov traveled around a number of defendants in a high-profile case, talking about transactions related to stolen money and the need to testify. Moreover, Kulikov mysteriously participated in interrogations along with Nikandrov.

In the end, this case actually fell apart. Only a number of “switchmen” went to court. Stepanova no official claims were made. Several of her subordinates were charged under the “light” articles of the Criminal Code, but then their criminal prosecution was terminated.

According to the Board of Directors of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Promsberbank shareholders Alexey Kulikov and Ivan Myazin ordered the issuance of fake loans to dozens of one-day firms. Thus, 3.2 billion rubles, which ended up abroad, were withdrawn from the bank. According to the scheme developed by the organizers of the scam, after granting loans, Promsberbank transferred the rights of claim under it to its “daughter” - Oranta insurance company. She sold loans to controlled entities involved in businesses located in Moldova and the Baltic states. These non-resident firms through foreign courts demanded that the debtors return the funds, then the money settled outside the Russian Federation.

During the investigation, it was possible to collect materials that the shadow banker at one time was a member of the largest channels for money laundering. “Myazin had extensive contacts with law enforcement agencies, as well as with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the FSFM, which was in force at that time,” witnesses said during interrogations. According to investigators, the Russian Land Bank, Russian Credit, Summit Bank, Deutsche Bank, the Estonian branch of Danske Bank and others previously participated in the massive withdrawal of funds from Russia. At the same time, Ivan Myazin organized “cover for the activities of investment companies to withdraw money abroad through its relations with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, organized cash flows, the search and involvement of third-party banks and investment companies in this activity. ”

Myazin was recently sentenced to eight years in prison. Investigation of part of the case of giant washing canals continues.