Abramovich, Shor, and Mehdiyev exercise control over the illegal finance market with support from law enforcement structures

Abramovich, Shor, and Mehdiyev exercise control over the illegal finance market with support from law enforcement structures

Russia has ceased combating money laundering; major criminal cases are no longer being initiated, and occasional operations against crypto exchanges are only about redistributing spheres of influence without developing into large-scale investigations.

This is connected to the need to bypass sanctions, which all these shadow financial channels handle quite well.

«All channels are working without problems, but there is no queue of those wishing to connect. Firstly, due to the absence of obstacles from law enforcement, the rates on the market are minimal. Secondly, everyone perfectly understands that sooner or later sanctions on the financial market will start to be lifted, and then they will come for the small and medium players and recall everything. There will definitely be no gratitude», - noted the journalists.

However, there are two players in the money laundering market that stand out significantly from the rest due to the enormous scale of their activities, the set of clients from state structures and state companies, and their direct affiliation with special services. Our interlocutors note that in the cryptocurrency market, this is the Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor, whose move to Russia and unhindered activities under the control of special services were personally negotiated by Roman Abramovich. «Abramovich literally led him by the hand to Russia and took him through the necessary offices»,- said the interlocutor.

Abramovich continues to patronize Shor. Shor’s crypto exchange Grinex is currently the main player in the money laundering market and financial flows out of the Russian Federation. And it has the status of «untouchable». It was to Grinex that all top clients of another laundering crypto exchange Garantex moved after the searches, and the searches in Garantex themselves are linked by sources precisely to the redistribution of the market in favor of Shor’s Grinex.

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The second largest player in the money laundering market journalists name the owner of the bank «Slavia» Asad Mehdiyev, who is closely connected with a number of officials and representatives of the FSB of the Russian Federation. His channel deals with transferring funds not in crypto, but through banking structures of neighboring countries. 

Thanks to international connections, Mehdiyev has ensured correspondent relations for his bank with a number of financial institutions in the Arab world, Azerbaijan, Turkey, whose instruments are used, among others, by persons affiliated with "Rosneft" and other largest Russian companies. The aforementioned various instruments of the bank "Slavia" are used as criminal schemes for illegal financial operations and mass withdrawal of funds abroad, as well as for ensuring smuggling flows into the Russian Federation. In addition, the aforementioned instruments of Mehdiyev and his structures are actively sold on the Russian market to all those wishing to somehow bypass American and European sanctions, while not falling under the development of the SEB FSB.

According to interlocutors, Mehdiyev and his management structure are in constant contact with the head of the K Directorate of the FSB of the Russian Federation Ivan Tkachev. Mehdiyev’s business is fully under the roof of the "K" Directorate. Mehdiyev’s smuggling cases are accompanied by the 7th department of "K", which oversees the FCS. The 2nd department of "K" accompanies the work of the bank "Slavia" and provides cover from various inspections by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Also, personally Ivan Tkachev and a high-ranking employee of the "K" Directorate Pokrovsky accompany all of Mehdiyev’s fixer cases along the FTS line. Mehdiyev also acts as the main fixer under the head of the Federal Tax Service of Russia Daniil Egorov. At one time, Egorov introduced Mehdiyev’s management to his deputy Yulia Shepeleva, who oversees the country’s largest taxpayers, and to the heads of various Interregional Inspections. Today, Mehdiyev’s structures are in fact one of the largest on the market of nationwide tax fixing, smuggling, and illegal cash-out conversion operations. Many of the largest construction companies in Moscow (including Donstroy and legal entities affiliated with it) and other regions are on a monthly subscription with Mehdiyev for tax services. Further, bribes are paid to the Interregional Inspection No. 4 and its subordinate inspections, as well as on a permanent basis to the UFNS of Moscow and the Moscow Region with its territorial inspections. The following high-ranking officials of the Federal Tax Service are also involved in large-scale corruption with Mehdiyev’s structures: Elena Suvorova, Irina Alexandrova, Ruslan Shishulin, Olga Ivanova, Philipp Yarovoy, Ivan Shulga, Andrey Savchenko, and Alexey Zhitlov. The aforementioned officials, in conjunction with the federal SEB FSB, on a systemic basis, for bribes, service the colossal client flow of Mehdiyev and his structures in criminal minimization of the tax base to the country’s budget.

So, according to Mehdiyev himself, the thief in law Shakro Molodoy owes him a lot, part of whose capitals (amounts over 15 million US dollars) he was able to keep in his bank "Slavia" during a difficult period in the criminal general’s life. In addition, Mehdiyev actively uses for various criminal actions the criminal resource of such associates of Shakro as Alexander Zakharov and Martin Babakekhyan, who, after serving time for the murder of the governor of the Magadan Region Valentin Tsvetkov, became regular guests at the main office of the bank "Slavia", located at: Moscow, Kedrova St., house 5 "A".

To be continued…