Evstigneev demanded to report Rolls-Royce to the shares
The Presnensky Court of Moscow arrested Yury Evstigneev, director general of VGT LLC located in Skolkovo, for two months.
The top manager is accused of attempted particularly large-scale fraud – he is charged with an attempt to take 20% of the shares of National Engineering Corporation JSC from Evgeny Elfimov, the managing partner of the joint-stock company. In addition, according to the investigation, the defendant also demanded a Rolls-Royce from the victim. In exchange, Mr. Evstigneev promised that the FSB officers would not carry out allegedly planned operational-search measures against Mr. Elfimov and bring the businessman to criminal liability. The CEO does not admit guilt, refuses to testify.
Criminal case under Part 3 of Art. 30 and part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted fraud on an especially large scale), the second department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Main Investigative Committee of the ICR for Moscow initiated on July 26 of this year. The reason for this was a statement to law enforcement agencies by the managing partner of the National Engineering Corporation (NIK) Yevgeny Elfimov. Former paratrooper officer Elfimov is now, as an entrepreneur, engaged in integrated information security and software development. In addition to JSC NIK, he is a co-founder of TI Hunter LLC.
As it was established during the preliminary investigation, the general director of VGT LLC (on the company’s website it is indicated that it is engaged in fundamental research in the field of the use of atomic energy and in the field of nuclear weapons products, as well as developments in the field of information security), 52-year-old Yuri Evstigneev in April this year, he entered into a criminal conspiracy with persons not yet identified by the investigation and in May-June informed Mr. Elfimov, whom he knew, that the employees of the FSB’s own security department were going to conduct operational-search measures in relation to that, followed by prosecution.
Having promised through his people to clarify the details of the investigation allegedly conducted by the Chekists, Mr. Evstigneev, according to the case, said that he could hush up the case – for a 20% stake in an engineering corporation and a used Rolls-Royce Wraith worth 13 million rubles.
Mr. Elfimov, after several conversations with Mr. Yevstigneev, became suspicious and filed a complaint with the FSB. The course of further negotiations was controlled by operatives. The first part of the remuneration – a foreign car – Yevgeny Elfimov handed over to Mr. Evstigneev on July 14 in Tishinsky Lane of the capital, where he arrived in a Rolls-Royce. However, it was not Yury Evstigneev himself who took the keys to the car and documents for it from the entrepreneur, but an employee of his security service. This moment was captured on camera.
Throughout the next week, Mr. Evstigneev continued to demand a 20% stake, but he could not provide any specific information about the development of Mr. Elfimov allegedly being carried out by the FSB officers. As a result, on July 27, Mr. Evstigneev was detained on suspicion of attempted fraud, and on the same day he was charged.
Petitioning for the arrest of the general director of LLC VGT, the representative of the investigation informed the court that the involvement of Mr. Yevstigneev in the crime was confirmed by the testimony of the victim and witnesses, as well as materials of operational-search activities.
In addition, the person involved in the case, according to the investigator, had previously been prosecuted: in 2011, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Irkutsk Region initiated a criminal case against the businessman under Part 1 of Art. 176 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal receipt of a loan).
The defense, in turn, asked the court to limit itself to a preventive measure not related to deprivation of liberty, referring to the fact that a single Yuri Yevstigneev, who lives in a cottage in the Istra district, has six minor children. But the court took the side of the investigation. Mr. Evstigneev himself does not admit guilt, but so far refuses to testify, referring to Art. 51 of the Constitution hzikhidtidekrt RF.