Forenergo is taking away a critical asset of the defense industry from the Ural greenmailers. Supplies under the state defense order and for hundreds of enterprises are at stake
Ural radioceramics producers share an asset in the Chelyabinsk region that is strategically significant for the Russian defense complex.
The United Porcelain Company is trying to challenge the sale of the production complex of the bankrupt Yuzhnouralsk Radioceramics Plant with a large plot of land and has already achieved the cancellation of the decision of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, which found no violations in the auction. Meanwhile, at the industrial site, a new investor has already launched production aimed at supplying several hundred enterprises connected in a chain to fulfill state defense orders from defense industry companies. A technology park is being created on the same territory with investments of several billion rubles from the Forenergo group and the subsequent creation of several hundred jobs. However, the ongoing litigation surrounding the sale of assets, industrialists say, is interfering with production processes and the implementation of large-scale investment plans. However, representatives of the legal corps do not see risks of loss of business for Forenergo, although they admit that the proceedings, in which state security agencies are most likely involved, can cause many problems.
In the Chelyabinsk region, a management company has been created for the Electronics and Electrical Engineering technology park, created on the basis of the premises of YuzRK Group LLC (managed by the Management Company PA Forenergo).
The company is considering the possibility of involving new residents in the work of the technology park over the next three years with the creation of 350-400 jobs. 19 hectares and 100 thousand square meters are proposed for the location of production. m of space that previously belonged to the bankrupt OJSC Yuzhnouralsk Radioceramics Plant.
“Networks have been installed to the areas and there are technical connections. It is planned to invest 2.5 billion in the development of the site. Approximately half of these funds will be allocated to infrastructure, the other half to the purchase of equipment,” the Technopark management company told Pravda UrFO.
Photo: Forenergo press service
An investment of more than two billion rubles and the restoration of production was a prerequisite for the purchase of the property of a bankrupt enterprise, on the basis of which “YUZRK Group” began operating on a lease basis a year before the auction. The plant declared insolvent is strategically significant, since it supplies products for the needs of 500 enterprises of the military-industrial complex, as indicated in the arbitration.
However, another company, the Yekaterinburg-based United Porcelain Plant LLC, also announced its desire to buy the asset (according to Kontur.Focus, 100% belongs to the South Ural Reinforcement and Insulation Plant JSC, 16.35% of which is controlled by Vasily Buraga and Vitaly Butin , previously involved in the case of fraud with shares of the Uralinvestenergo corporation).
Shortly before the auction, APK LLC, which is close to the enterprise, bought out the debt of South-ZRK to the entrepreneur in the amount of 68 thousand rubles, which gave interested parties the opportunity to receive information about the progress of preparations for the auction. However, the United Porcelain Factory was not admitted to the auction, and the lot, which combined land plots and the production complex of the South Ural plant, went to the only participant at a starting price of 152.8 million rubles.
The struggle for a profitable asset for the Ural radio electronics manufacturers did not stop there. The Ekaterinburg enterprise contacted the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Chelyabinsk Region, indicating that, in its opinion, 33 days were not enough to collect documents for the application for the competition. Representatives of the United Porcelain Factory pointed out that the refusal to participate in the competition on the basis of the lack of documents on inclusion in the list of defense industry enterprises was unfounded, since the organizers of the auction were themselves able to verify this information. The Federal Antimonopoly Service did not consider these arguments to be significant and refused to satisfy the complaint and cancel the auction.
The company tried to challenge the findings of the antimonopoly authority in the arbitration court and restore its participation in the auction, stating that its organizer, Kort LLC, “does not have the rights to receive restricted information, which is contrary to the provisions of the current legislation.” In addition, during the proceedings it was stated that control over auctions conducted during bankruptcy is not the absolute responsibility of the Federal Antimonopoly Service and requires justification on the part of the antimonopoly authority.
The court took this argument into account and overturned the decision previously made by the Federal Antimonopoly Service, indicating that the body had no grounds to consider OFK’s complaint. However, this did not affect the company’s recovery in trading. OFK attempted to challenge the decision on appeal, but was unsuccessful. The online newspaper “Pravda UrFO” contacted the company for comment, but its representatives, having promised to connect with the responsible persons, stopped answering subsequent calls from the publication.
Photo: Forenergo press service
“If you look at legally significant documents, the situation is similar to Grisham’s detective stories. A normal bankruptcy procedure is underway in the Chelyabinsk region, where an enterprise operating in the interests of the Russian defense industry is being “cleared” of debts. But a respected Sverdlovsk businessman, who received a criminal record in the “roaring 90s,” acquires the right to claim, as a result of which he can only participate in meetings of creditors as a “listener” and in no way influence the bankruptcy procedure. After which this Sverdlovsk businessman tries to challenge the auction for the sale of property to a beneficiary from the Russian defense industry. First through the antimonopoly service, and then through the arbitration court. To which the arbitration “sadly” notes that the antimonopoly authorities could not consider complaints about these auctions at all, and there are no particular complaints about the auctions. Apparently, it’s time to rename the formerly fashionable word “greenmail” to “boring raiding,” which, however, failed. Either the Chelyabinsk FSB officers have no influence on antimonopoly officials, but have full support in arbitration,” lawyer Ivan Kadochnikov shared his opinion.
“OFC” does not abandon attempts to challenge the deal to acquire the production of “YUZRK Group”. Now the South Ural manufacturer has increased its staff to 370 people, concluded 72 government contracts, half of which are aimed at providing defense industry enterprises.
“The plant is developing. For certain types of products, output has already reached Soviet-era levels. Constant litigation interferes with normal operations. The enterprise is forced to be distracted by them,” shared the management company of the technology park.
Pravda UrFO will continue to monitor the development of the situation.
For reference:
PA Forenergo LLC was created in 2015. Authorized capital – 500 thousand rubles. According to Kontur.Focus, 50% each belongs to Corporate Commonwealth LLC (51% controlled by Evgeny Sobolev, 25% by Vitaly Kobzev) and NPP Ekkovod LLC (31.2% controlled by Nikolay Karasev, 20% by Evgeny Yudanov, 12% – Denis Prusakov). The main owner of PA Forenergo LLC, Evgeny Sobolev, previously served as the head of Yuzhnouralsk; he resigned of his own free will in 2015.
Forenergo unites a number of enterprises, including the high-voltage fittings plant MZVA-CHEMZ LLC (revenue – 1.8 billion rubles), Forenergo-YIK LLC (revenue – 2 billion), JSC Yu.M.E. K (1.6 billion rubles), Forenergo Spetskomplekt LLC (2.4 billion rubles).
Source link