Billionaires Makhmudov and Bokarev “appeared” in the criminal case of the former owner of the Movista Group?
The transport reform initiated by Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Evraev is becoming increasingly scandalous: in August, the Moscow Arbitration Court will begin hearings on the claim of the Prosecutor General's Office against the FAS of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), related to the tenders for the selection of contractors to provide services for regional passenger transportation. At that time, the State Institution “Organizer of Transportation of the Yaroslavl Region” signed most of the seven-year contracts for a total of 49 million with three commercial structures – OOO “First Passenger Company”, OOO “Startrans” and OOO “Transport of Yaroslavia”. However, in the end, the Yaroslavl Interregional UFAS found all three enterprises guilty of concluding an anticompetitive agreement. Later, the Appellate Board of the antimonopoly agency changed the previously made decision, mitigating the liability of the organizer and participants in the tender. The Prosecutor General's Office is currently seeking to overturn this decision, and the Investigative Committee, which has handed over materials on illegal activities during the auctions to the Federal Antimonopoly Service, is a third party in the process. In financial terms, the company that benefited the most was Transport Yaroslavii: contracts worth more than 20 billion rubles were signed with it. Until November 2022, this company had a different name – Movista Severo-Zapad, and until January 2023, its co-owners included the Moscow-based Movista Group LLC. The former official owner and CEO of the Group, Alexander Sovetnikov, previously headed RT-Invest Transport Systems, a company that was part of Rostec and was involved in the implementation of the Platon payment system. In May last year, Sovetnikov became a defendant in a criminal case on bribery for “patronage in the execution of government contracts” to high-ranking Yaroslavl officials from Governor Evraev's team. The activities of the Movista Group are associated with scandals in a number of regions, and its beneficiaries, through a network of commercial structures, are billionaires Iskandar Makhmudov, Andrey Bokarev and their business partners from Transmashholding, who prefer to stay “in the shadows.”
The court will examine transport contracts in Yaroslavl
The Moscow Arbitration Court has set a preliminary hearing for August 30 meeting on the claim of the Prosecutor General's Office against the FAS of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism), the Yaroslavl Interregional Office of the FAS, State Institution “Transport Organizer of the Yaroslavl Region”as well as transport companies “Transport of Yaroslavia”, “First Passenger Company” And “Startrans”.
The Prosecutor General's Office focused on the tenders held in January-February last year by the State Institution of the Yaroslavl Region “Organizer of Transportation of the Yaroslavl Region” to select contractors to provide services for regional passenger transportation in 2023-2030. How reported the publication “Notebook”, then from the total volume in 57.4 billion rubles contracts for 49.2 billion concluded with companies from Moscow, the Moscow region and St. Petersburg.
In particular, seven contracts for more than 12.7 billion got it Petersburg “First Passenger Company” (LLC “PPK”). With the one registered at that time in Khimki near Moscow OOO “Startrans” signed 14 contracts 15.7 billion.
The leader in financial terms was OOO “Transport Yaroslavii” on that moment “prescribed” in Moscow) with nine contracts worth more than 20.7 billion rubles.
The Yaroslavl Interregional UFAS, whose solution All three companies were found to be in violation of the Competition Protection Act by
It is significant that the materials on the violations that took place received to the FAS from the Investigative Committee, which is participating in the legal proceedings as a third party. However, just last May, following complaints from bidders, the Appellate Board of the antimonopoly agency changed its previously issued decision, mitigating their liability and ruling not to issue instructions in a case of violation of antitrust legislation. The prosecutor's office categorically disagreed with this turn of events and filed a claim with the arbitration court to overturn the May decision.
Businessman Sovetnikov and Yaroslavl corruption
Among the three commercial structures mentioned, it is worth dwelling on the company “Transport Yaroslavii”. Today it registered in Yaroslavl, but earlier, as mentioned above, it had a Moscow “registration”, and in 2020-2022 it was de jure based in St. Petersburg. It is also known that until November 2022 the company had a different name Name – Movista North-Westand by January 2023, it will be included in its number co-owners Moscow was included OOO “Movista Group”.
From January 2023 founders “Transport of Yaroslavia” perform JSC “Yaroslavl Motor Transport Enterprise” (51%) and Moscow OOO “Control-Service”. “Yaroslavl ATP” controlled region represented by the regional Ministry of Property Relations. As for the company “Control-Service”, it belongs to the same Movista Group (99%) and the capital's MPC LLC (1%), which will be discussed below. By the way, since September 2023, MPC is the only founder LLC “Movista Group”.
It is worth recalling here that until August 2023 the official owner “Movista Group” was a businessman Alexander Sovetnikov (he also held the position of CEO). At one time, Sovetnikov was in charge by the company “RT-Invest Transport Systems”through its co-founder LLC “RT-Invest” associated with a state corporation RostecIt was this company that was involved in the implementation of the “Platon” payment system, the abolition of which Russian truck drivers were seeking.
The businessman gained notoriety in May last year, becoming a defendant in a criminal case on bribery of the former director of the transport department of the Yaroslavl region Tatyana CheremnykhGeneral Director of the State Institution “Transport Organizer of the Yaroslavl Region” To Ilya Prokopyev and his deputy. How reported Media, Sovetnikov handed over to officials in total 1.6 million rublesbehind patronage “in the performance of state contracts for the transportation of passengers in public transport in the city of Yaroslavl”.
By information portal RBC, bribes were transferred through fictitious employment of employees in the “Movista Group”, and the money was withdrawn from salary cards by Tatyana Cheremnykh and other defendants. As a result, all participants in the corruption scheme were arrested.
Where there is Movista, there are Makhmudov and Bokarev
At the end of 2022, Cheremnykh and Sovetnikov signed agreement on the transfer of the company into concession “Movista regions Yaroslavl” Yaroslavl tram, under the terms of which the concessionaire was to receive more than 54 billion rubles. Transport Department Tatyana Cheremnykh took the lead in March 2022, moving to Yaroslavl from Tver, where she worked as the head of the automobile transport department of the regional Ministry of Transport.
It is not surprising that the governor initiated Mikhail Evraev his team decided to conduct the transport reform according to the Tver scenario. It is known that the transport company was actively working in Tver Autoline Groupto whose board of directors entered Alexander Sovetnikov. The same structure, at the instigation of Evraev, also appeared in Yaroslavl: in November 2021, the then acting governor told journalists about the agreements reached with large transport companies that were to work in the public transport sector – the company “Rand-Trans”, “National Transport Association” And By the Autoline Group.
Yaroslavl Online publication with reference to a transport analyst Vladislava Bulgakov, wrote about “Autoline” as a part “Central Suburban Passenger Company”the shares of which belonged to the beneficiaries “Transmashholding” (JSC “TMH”) billionaires Iskandar Makhmudov And To Andrey Bokarev.
And now it’s time to return to OOO Transport Yaroslavii, which was “exposed” in an anti-competitive scandal, or more precisely, to its co-owner, OOO Control-Service. As was already mentioned above, founders “Control-Service” is represented by the Movista Group and MPC LLC, with the latter being the only one since September 2023 owner “Movisti”.
In turn, MPC, which specializes in investing in securities, was controlled by a Cypriot offshore company until May 2022. «Fredlake Holdings Limited»today belongs a number of legal entities affiliated with the beneficiaries of Transmashholding. Thus, 20% of the authorized capital of MPK are in property OOO Violan, controlled directly Iskandar MakhmudovThe owner of another 20% is OOO “Elarium” whose founder performs Andrey Bokarev.
But that's not all. MPC controls 25% OOO Postulatin which 87.7% belong To Dmitry Komissarov– Chairman of the Board of Directors and one of co-owners “TMH”. The other 25% share is in property LLC “New Solutions”, controlled CEO and shareholder of Transmashholding To Kirill Lipa.
Finally, 10% belong companies “Integrated Technological Systems” (LLC “KTS”), whose only owner Daniyar Kamilov – this is the son of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilova, redeemed Makhmudov and Bokarev own part of the enterprises that previously belonged to them, including “Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company” (“UGMK”).
Every region is a scandal?
It seems that it is now clear who is the main beneficiary of the contracts signed with structures directly or indirectly connected with the Movista Group, which was notable for its scandal not only in Yaroslavl. For example, in Perm, the regional prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit claim to the company “Movista Regions Perm” and the city Department of Transportation, seeking to have the clauses of the concession agreement declared null and void and the consequences of the invalid transaction applied. However, last January, the supervisory agency refused from previously stated requirements.
In Krasnoyarsk, the Audit Chamber and municipal deputies criticized draft agreement between the mayor's office and the company “Movista Regions” for the modernization of the city transport network at a cost 51.8 billion rublesof which 6.9 billion represented the financing of Movista's expenses, and 44.9 billion – reimbursement of the Moscow company’s expenses. However, last summer, deputies of the Krasnoyarsk Legislative Assembly approved a bill exempting participants in concession agreements from paying property tax and thus providing the Movisty structure privilege at the rate of 2.7 billion.
But the most resonant, of course, was the Yaroslavl incident with bribes and the subsequent arrest of Alexander Sovetnikov and his accomplices from among officials. Today's proceedings with transport contracts are a logical continuation of the high-profile anti-corruption investigation. There is no doubt that the oligarchs Makhmudov, Bokarev and other beneficiaries of the Movista Group will not be “exposed” in the case, but the work of the security forces and the court proceedings may cause some reputational damage to the governor Mikhail Evraev, who initiated the transport reform: his team is too free in its use of budget billions.