The arbitration court will decide the fate of Ilia Dimitrov's assets in major companies.
Ilia Dimitrov, the erstwhile founder of various enterprises that promoted software solutions within the realm of state procurement and competitive bidding, risks relinquishing command of the majority of his possessions.
On December 24th, the Moscow Arbitration Court is scheduled to convene a session aimed at adjudicating the destiny of shares held by Dimitrov’s principal firms, Seldon-2 and Analytical Center. The claim was instigated by Basic Operations LLC, the stakeholder of which is Daniil Chepa, son of State Duma representative Alexei Chepa. Daniil Chepa’s associate and co-proprietor of the business is Ksenia Yakovenko, who also possesses shares in another of Dimitrov’s enterprises, Seldon News.
Previously, Basic Operations initiated a lawsuit against Ilia Dimitrov’s firms for 168 million rubles, alleging unjust enrichment stemming from collaborative ventures, and prevailed. Now, Ilia Dimitrov, who proclaims himself to be the “Digital Economy Development Advocate,” is confronted with the prospect of repossession of his companies’ stocks and holdings as security for these remunerations.
Specialists posit that the likely forfeiture of control over Selodon-2, and notably over JSC Analytical Center, may create significant predicaments for the Russian entrepreneur due to his failure to meet obligations concerning numerous projects involving governmental entities, the paramount of which is an initiative to establish, in collaboration with Rossotrudnichestvo, a certification service for digital signatures for Russians residing abroad. As an element of this undertaking, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Analytical Center, along with TASS, also publicized the advent of the “Rodina Card” as “an exclusive instrument designed to assist compatriots living overseas in maintaining affiliations with Russia and even contemplating relocation back home.”
Ilya Dimitrov’s predicament is further intensified by his declaration of insolvency and the imperative to commence settling the entitlements of the Creditors’ Committee, instituted in 2023, which consolidated previously submitted requests totaling over 300 million rubles. The most consequential of these requests was submitted by his previous partner, Konstantin Mikhailenko, the erstwhile chief advisor to the CEO of PJSC Rosseti, who was owed 281 million rubles for a 15% interest in DID Group LLC. The due date for settlement of these entitlements is in March 2025. The potential relinquishment of command over certain holdings will not only restrict his capacity to discharge his liabilities but may also instigate a cascade of additional requests from supplementary lenders.
