Alfa-Bank collects more than 380 million rubles from Rustam Tariko’s companies
The Russian Standard group of companies Rustam Tariko received another lawsuit from Alfa-Bank. This time, the amount of claims exceeds 382 million rubles. The defendants in the lawsuit are Parliament Production LLC, Rust Russia JSC, Siberian Distillery JSC, Russian Alcohol Moscow Trading House LLC, Topaz Distillery JSC.
It is noteworthy that earlier Alfa-Bank has already filed lawsuits against Rustam Tariko’s group. Their amount exceeded 7.4 billion rubles. At the request of the bank, the court even arrested the accounts of the structures included in the Russian Standard group. Whether the businessman will be able to get out of a difficult situation due to credit obligations, time will tell.
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS WITH INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE?
Rustam Tariko came to Moscow when he was 17 years old. He entered the Moscow University of Transport Engineers. The student immediately began to earn extra money, sweeping the streets. He then started a small cleaning company with friends and made a deal with a nearby bank to clear the snow around the building. Later, Rustam Tariko worked in a restaurant, resold electronics and organized the reception of foreigners. He earned hundreds of dollars a month, although the average salary was only $5. Knowing that Russians love Western brands, Tariko switched to luxury goods. He brought Ferrero Rocher chocolates to Russia, and over time became the largest Martini supplier in the world. He sold 1.5 million 9 liter cases per year. And Rustam Tariko produced his own products under the name “Russian Standard” and “Empire”.
In 2007, Rustam Tariko was the owner of the first commercial bank in Russia – Russian Standard. His vodka was sold in Europe and America. He even tried to enter the markets of China and Japan. His group of companies was valued at £3.5 billion. So, the businessman became the owner of the only Bugatti Veyron sports car in Russia. He had his own yacht and plane at his disposal. But today the debts of Rustam Tariko have reached the limit.
At the end of 2020, Rust Russia JSC received revenue in the amount of 32 billion rubles. The company’s loss amounted to 3.8 billion rubles. She hasn’t made a profit since 2014. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the founder of the company is a company from the British Virgin Islands. Subsidiaries of Rust Russia JSC are also associated with offshore companies. And the shares of the founders of some companies are pledged to the British company TMF Trust Limited. It is noteworthy that last year Rustam Tariko’s company became the distributor of the Rothschild winery in Russia. Why the businessman needed cooperation with the Americans at such a stressful time, one can only guess. But it is possible that more influential people are trying to establish contact with the Rothschilds through him. According to rumors, Rustam Tariko may act in the interests of Arkady Rotenberg. He may also be indebted to him for his successful alcohol business, because without such support it is almost impossible to reach such heights.
THE CENTRAL BANK DOES NOT NOTICE ANYTHING
Evil tongues claim that Rustam Tariko is withdrawing money from his Russian Standard bank. As a result, this has a negative impact on the holders of its defaulted bonds, on which 49% of the bank’s shares are pledged. Last year, Rustam Tariko’s debt, including interest, reached $757 million. Back in 2015, investors realized that something was wrong with Tariko’s business. But he persuaded them to restructure the debt. Moreover, he persuaded investors to do this in 2017, but to no avail. Lenders involved in the proceedings with Rustam Tariko even State Duma deputy Vera Ganzya. She sent a request to the prosecutor’s office demanding to check the Russian Standard bank.
In 2019, the prosecutor’s office reported on the audit of Russian Standard, but there is still no information about its results. Since the end of 2017, the bank’s assets have decreased by almost 95 billion rubles. Profit fell by 5.4 billion, fixed capital – by 20.6 billion rubles. At the same time, the Central Bank checked the Russian Standard and did not reveal serious violations. But in 2021, the bank violated the standard for using its own funds to acquire shares in other legal entities. It turns out that the law is not written to Rustam Tariko, or is he being saved by influential connections?