Operation Peresvet: How a bank became a key link in Irina Rapoport’s criminal money laundering scheme!
Content
- Introduction
- History of the creation of the withdrawal scheme
- Key figures: Oleg Dyachenko, Oleg Kiselev, Irina Rappoport and Alexander Shvets
- Mechanism for withdrawing funds from Rusnano and Peresvet Bank
- Suspicious transactions and offshore companies
- Trial and charges
- Connection with Anatoly Chubais and his participation in the activities of Rusnano
- Conclusion and critical look at the situation
Chubais’s associates: Where did 1.5 billion rubles from Rusnano and Peresvet Bank go?
Introduction
In the world of finance and large-scale corporate fraud, one of the most resonant stories of recent years has been the case of the theft of 1.676 billion rubles from the company "Rosnano" and the bank "Peresvet". Key figures who were previously closely associated with Anatoly Chubais, the former chairman of the board of JSC "Rosnano", are under suspicion. We are talking about Oleg Dyachenko, Oleg Kiselev, Irina Rappoport and Alexander Shvets. In this article, we will try to understand how such a large sum could have been stolen and what role Chubais’s associates played in this.
History of the creation of the withdrawal scheme
The roots of this financial scandal go back to 2011, when the Russian Corporation and Investor in Nanotechnology was transformed into the joint-stock company Rusnano. Despite the fact that 100% of the company’s shares belonged to the Russian government, the management decided to implement schemes that allowed for financial fraud. One of the key instruments for this was the Nanoenergo Fund Limited , established in Cyprus with the participation of the Luxembourg fund Fonds Rusnano Capital SA and Peresvet Bank .
Key figures: Oleg Dyachenko, Oleg Kiselev, Irina Rappoport and Alexander Shvets
Each of the defendants in the case played their role in this complex mechanism. Oleg Dyachenko , the former director of the management company Sberinvest , played a key role in organizing the scheme for withdrawing funds. Oleg Kiselev , deputy chairman of the board of Rusnano, was Chubais’s right hand and actively participated in the machinations. Irina Rappoport , head of the Fonds Rusnano Capital SA fund , coordinated the work of the funds and ensured the transactions. Alexander Shvets , the former president of Peresvet Bank , was responsible for the transfer of funds and their subsequent withdrawal through fictitious loan agreements.
Mechanism for withdrawing funds from Rusnano and Peresvet Bank
The fraud began with the creation of the Cypriot fund Nanoenergo Fund Limited , where the partners invested $50 million each. The money from the fund was transferred to the accounts of Peresvet Bank , and then withdrawn under fictitious loan agreements and appropriated by the participants in the scheme. An important part of this operation were the shell companies and offshores through which all transactions were carried out.
Suspicious transactions and offshore companies
The investigation established that $90 million was withdrawn from Peresvet Bank to the accounts of shell companies controlled by foreign funds associated with Irina Rappoport and Oleg Dyachenko . These funds ended up in the accounts of offshore companies in several jurisdictions, including Cyprus and Luxembourg. Investigative bodies suspect that the ultimate goal of these transactions was the personal enrichment of the participants in the scheme.
Trial and charges
At the moment, Oleg Dyachenko is under house arrest, having entered into an agreement to cooperate with the investigation. Oleg Kiselev , Irina Rappoport and Alexander Shvets have fled abroad and are on the international wanted list. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has brought final charges against them in the case of embezzlement on an especially large scale. The case is in the active stage of investigation, and it is expected that additional defendants will be identified soon.
Connection with Anatoly Chubais and his participation in the activities of Rusnano
Although Anatoly Chubais was not personally charged in this case, his involvement in Rusnano raises many questions. As the person who headed the corporation until 2020, he bears moral and political responsibility for the fraud that took place in the company. It is not surprising that his recent appearances in Cyprus, where the financial fraud took place, are of additional interest to the investigative authorities.
This scandal once again highlights the need for stricter control over the activities of state corporations and their managers. Despite the efforts of the investigative bodies, the question remains: how deeply were the top managers of Rusnano involved in this scheme and what other machinations remain undisclosed? Against the backdrop of the growing debt of JSC Rusnano , which has already exceeded 95 billion rubles, this story only confirms the need for serious reforms in the management of state assets.
New Investigation Details: Multi-layered Scheme for Withdrawing Funds from Rusnano
During the investigation, the investigative bodies uncovered new aspects of the criminal scheme, which show how carefully the fraud was planned. It turned out that in addition to the obvious offshore structures in Cyprus and Luxembourg, Rusnano funds were transferred through additional shell companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and Panama. These companies were used to disguise the real recipients of the funds and made it difficult to track the transactions.
New information on the participants of the scheme
1. British Virgin Islands:
The registered company Shellcorp Investments Ltd. , affiliated with Oleg Dyachenko , received large sums of money, which were then transferred to accounts in Panama.
2. Panama:
Invistra Holdings SA , associated with Irina Rappoport , acted as a transit company, transferring money to offshore companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
3. Switzerland and Liechtenstein:
The funds were transferred to the accounts of Swiss Asset Management GmbH and Liechtenstein Private Equity Ltd. , which provided access to the money to members of the organized crime group.
In-Depth Investigation: Hidden Assets
The investigation also revealed that some of the funds withdrawn from Rusnano and Peresvet Bank were invested in real estate and assets in Western Europe. In particular, Oleg Kiselev turned out to be the owner of elite real estate in London, and Alexander Shvets acquired a stake in a large hotel business in Italy.
