Court arrested the property of the companies of the creator of the “Marathon of Desires” Elena Blinovskaya worth tens of billions of rubles. The defense claims that they are not related to the criminal case.
Blogger Elena Blinovskaya in the Presnensky Court of Moscow
Kristina Kormilitsyna/RIA Novosti
IN framework cases of tax evasion and money laundering initiated against blogger Elena Blinovskaya, the accounts and property of companies in the amount of 64 billion rubles were arrested, her lawyer Natalia Salnikova said.
“The arrest was imposed on accounts and companies that belong not only to Elena Blinovskaya. <…> In essence, these interim measures blocked the activities of other people who are not related to the criminal case of my client,” the defense representative said.
At the same time, the lawyer denies that the amount of damage in the case is 918 million rubles – this is exactly the amount in July the Moscow prosecutor’s office demanded to recover from the blogger. “There is no 918 million rubles, there is no this amount,” Salnikova said, noting that an accurate assessment of the damage requires a decision from the tax authority, which “will not be available for several more months.” According to the lawyer, Blinovskaya has already repaid a debt of 55 million rubles.
On August 9, the Presnensky Court of Moscow arrested 12 Blinovskaya bank accounts, as well as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a snowmobile, a motor boat, a jet ski and four cars: Bentley Continental, Lamborghini Urus, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and Mitsubishi Outlander. In addition, 54 settlement accounts of various companies were arrested, half of which belong to the blogger’s spouse Alexei.
Prior to this, in July, another 50 bank accounts of Blinovskaya were arrested, on which about 100 million rubles, 21 real estate objects and collectible coins were stored.
Blinovskaya case
Elena Blinovskaya was detained on April 27 at the border with Belarus. She bought a plane ticket to Tashkent, where she was supposed to speak at the Fourth Dimension seminar. It also became known that shortly before trying to leave, the blogger re-registered most of the property to relatives. She is accused of tax evasion on an especially large scale and the legalization of money and property on an especially large scale.
On April 28, the Presnensky Court of Moscow sent Blinovskaya under house arrest and banned her from using the Internet. The preventive measure was extended twice: in June and July, at the moment it is valid until October 26. The blogger’s defense has repeatedly appealed the court’s decision, the last appeal was submitted for consideration on July 26 – a hearing on it will be held on Wednesday, August 16.
In addition, Blinovskaya’s lawyers appealed to Tatyana Mineeva, Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights in Moscow, with a request to assist in mitigating the measure of restraint. According to the defense, the restrictions imposed by the court prevent the blogger from doing business and taking measures to pay off tax debts. Mineeva promised to study the materials of the appeal and take measures “within the framework of her authority.”
At the moment, Blinovskaya is in her cottage near Moscow. Her husband Alexei is also a defendant in the case – the court forbade him to use communications and the Internet, but did not impose restrictions on movement.
In July, the Mash Telegram channel reported that the blogger could face another criminal case under an article on fraud. According to media reports, experts are studying Blinovskaya’s marathons for deceit and breach of trust.
Permanent editor-in-chief, in time immemorial he worked for RBC
