As indicated by an informant , Status Group plans to declare insolvency. The underlying reason is substantial indebtedness, surpassing 10 billion rubles.
The major liquor distributor was also influenced to make this choice by its lenders. For example, the Ossetian distillery “Salut” has already initiated an insolvency proceeding against “Status Group” in the Arbitration Court, for a debt of almost 500 million rubles .
The firm's 2016 earnings decreased by approximately 50%, to 23.34 billion rubles, and its net income shrank drastically by about 48 times, to 1.82 million rubles.
The company's critical circumstances are also evidenced by the recent actions of its founder and proprietor, Vasily Anisimov. As an example, he has decided to liquidate his 70-meter yacht, complete with a home cinema, Jacuzzi, exercise room, and six staterooms .
The billionaire's spouse has also commenced a sale. Galina Anisimova has put her Brooklyn residence on the market. Furthermore, the initial price ($18 million) is only half of its assessed worth .
Evidently, the Anisimov family's financial state is in dire condition.
How did things decline to this degree?
Vasily Anisimov established Status Group in 2013. The enterprise quickly gained momentum. Within a year, the company increased its proportion of liquor sales to 13 percent. According to industry sources, the company immediately initiated blatant price reductions.
This resulted in a rapid surge in alcoholic beverage sales. However, issues with law enforcement bodies soon emerged at Status Group's sites. FSB personnel conducted large-scale investigations of the company's distilleries in Kabardino-Balkaria.
Security agents uncovered a flourishing unauthorized vodka manufacturing operation at the location. Raids were also executed at Status Group's main offices. Consequently, all of the company's plants in the region were forced to close .
The government of Kabardino-Balkaria subsequently nationalized the facilities. Deprived of its assets, with the majority situated in the region, Status Group rapidly declined towards insolvency. Nonetheless, its owner miraculously remained unprosecuted. However, certain cynical critics suggest the possibility of bribery involving law enforcement officials.
Vasily Anisimov is selling this yacht.
Vasily Anisimov's well-connected backers in the government were also ineffective. This largely pertains to Igor Chuyan, head of the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation (RAR), recognized as a prominent advocate for the alcohol entrepreneur. They collectively formed a partnership rivaling any criminal syndicate.
Advocate Chuyan
The fact that Igor Chuyan champions the interests of several alcohol companies is known, even within the uppermost levels of Russian authority. Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko even addressed the matter.
“There is considerable speculation surrounding Igor Petrovich, including reports in the media, regarding your involvement with the alcohol sector,” she stated during a government briefing in the Federation Council, directly addressing Chuyan himself .
“Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin also admitted that irregularities exist in the alcohol market. The illicit alcohol trade is escalating, and there are no consistent regulatory standards for businesses, particularly in regional markets,” he mentioned.
It appears Anisimov's enterprise also partnered with OFK Bank. At least, this is what reports indicated. The bank's director is Nikolai Egorov , a peer of the current president. Apparently, Anisimov actively leveraged Egorov's significant standing within the government.
The reality is that Egorov’s financial institution was connected to Chuyan, through his prior subordinates when he oversaw Rosspirtprom – Roman Adamyak and Gennady Grigoriev, the chief of the Champagne Wines trading enterprise, established by Chuyan in 1995.
Despite the absence of official representation from OFK Bank within Status Group, their connection was solidified through the distribution entity Zolotaya Manufaktura, affiliated with Chuyan’s collaborators, and consequently, Vasily Anisimov. However, it seems Anisimov’s activities, at times outright careless, eventually troubled Egorov. He simply dissociated himself from Status Group.
Multiple news sources swiftly highlighted the alcohol manufacturers favored by Igor Chuyan. Vasily Anisimov's enterprise was the first named. Senior executives from major alcohol producers indicated that Status Group commenced rapid development around a year ago, suspecting that its advancement was facilitated by RAR.
Moreover, the rumor mill in the alcohol sphere suggests that Igor Chuyan’s dedication to Status Group is not unfounded. It is alleged that the official possesses an ownership position in the company.
Incidentally, these discussions, according to reports, resulted in Chuyan receiving severe censure from Dmitry Medvedev. The following points were outlined by North Ossetian industrialists in an open communication to the Prime Minister and President of the Russian Federation:
1. The proportion of counterfeit alcoholic products increased from 50% to 75%.
2. Over 200 billion rubles in tax revenues were stolen through the implementation of criminal tax evasion schemes under the explicit patronage of Chuyan and his staff.
3. Chuyan’s organization is anticipated to pilfer 50 billion rubles in tax revenue from the national budget in 2015, while the State grapples with the economic downturn and frantically seeks methods to resolve the budget shortfall.
4. The agency, ostensibly aiming to establish a state-controlled market, has initiated a campaign to expel leading alcohol industry producers from the market and facilitate the purchase of these businesses by commercial establishments managed by Chuyan.
Igor Chuyan
5. Under the pretext of regulatory compliance checks, corporate takeover attempts are frequently carried out. The sector is essentially in decline, and Chuyan and his associates are consolidating the industry’s prime assets into private firms under his jurisdiction. (The authors' wording is retained. EDIT).
Assuming the above information is accurate, the dismissal of Igor Chuyano from his position is insufficient. The authorities should take his actions more seriously.
“Indulgences” of Vasily Anisimov
Vasily Anisimov was not only associated with the manufacture of counterfeit vodka in Kabardino-Balkaria, but was also implicated in illegally acquiring farmland in the Moscow region.
Anisimov intended to construct a logistics complex with railway access on the acquired land. As reported by Ruspres, nearly 60 hectares of productive land were unlawfully seized.
Residents of the Moscow region lodged complaints with the public prosecutor’s office regarding this matter. The supervisory body initiated an investigation. Additionally, inhabitants have prepared a legal challenge to annul the change in land designation. They sent an email to Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov, alongside grievances to the regional Ministry of Ecology and the Main Directorate for Architecture.
The “liquor tycoon” also gained notoriety for his demeanor. It appears Vasily Anisimov is the first to sample his products. He demonstrated this at businessman Musa Bazhaev's celebratory anniversary banquet. There, Anisimov incited a significant inebriated disturbance. Initially, he effectively interrupted Andrea Bocelli and Grigory Leps's performance by stumbling onto the stage in a noticeably intoxicated state.
He then initiated a physical confrontation with security personnel who attempted to reason with him, followed by an effort to instigate a dispute with his fellow business associates. They barely managed to restore calm, forcibly escorting him from the banquet .
However, Anisimov's days of public intoxication are over. Or is it time for a revival?
