“Premier” for Chemezov: VTB will get the shopping center on Vernadsky Avenue from Sergey Chemezov’s people?

The ultimate beneficiaries of the buyout of the Premiera shopping center may be the people of Sergei Chemezov and structures close to the head of VTB Andrei Kostin.

Businessman Anton Agafonov became the only participant in the auction for the sale of 100% stake in the Citygrad company, which owns the Premiera shopping center on Moscow’s Vernadsky Avenue. Previously, the shopping center belonged to the structures of Mikail Shishkhanov, but fell into a debt mass and ended up in Trust Bank, which is now acting as a seller.

However, Agafonov is unlikely to be the real owner. He is credited with close ties with the family of the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, who probably does not mind putting more property and assets in different “pockets”. As a result, the site under the shopping center may be built up by the structure of VTB Hals Development.

This is not the first auction for the sale of shares in Citigrad. Prior to this, tenders were announced in May with a minimum price of 756 million. Then there were no applicants. This time, the minimum price is 648 million rubles. However, the bank explained that the final price for Agafonov could be even lower, without naming a specific amount. Thus, he can receive an asset below the real market value.

At the same time, the Premiera shopping center occupies an area of ​​13 thousand square meters. meters in a residential area. This is a promising place not only for trade, but also for housing construction.

Anton Agafonov was the founder of eight legal entities, the total value of which is estimated at minus 407 million rubles, the value of his shares is minus 370 million rubles. With debts, almost all offices. Project City Management Company LLC has a loss of 8 million, with a value of assets minus 139 million. Asta LLC, which trades in machine tools, has a loss of 283 million rubles, the value of assets is minus 142 million rubles. Others have a similar situation.

Photo: Rusprofile.en

Agafonov is also on the board of directors of the Yakutsk Fuel Company (YATEK, Roman Avdolyan’s A-Property structure) and has income from it, he probably does not have his own funds to buy a shopping center.

Chemezov’s man?

Agafonov is also connected with the environment of the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, whose interests he can represent. Previously, the businessman held the position of CEO at the Smart Driving Laboratory (LLC LUV, which developed systems for diagnosing cars while driving).

Photo: Rusprofile.en

The startup did not take off, the structure ended up in a financial hole. At the end of 2022, it showed a loss of 254 million rubles, with the value of assets minus 640 million rubles. Among other things, the company has a state contract for 3 million rubles for IC Sberbank Insurance LLC.

Agafonov left the post in 2019. And since 2015, Ekaterina Ignatova, the wife of the head of Rostec Sergey Chemezov, has been a co-owner of LUV LLC. She left the asset only this year, i.e. Agafonov was a top manager of its structure.

Photo: Rusprofile.en

According to Versiya, in 2020, Ignatova received an income of almost 1.5 billion rubles. And he was allegedly explained just by the sale of shares in LUV. Given that at the end of 2019, the company’s losses amounted to 209 million rubles, and the value of assets is only 51 million, this assumption looks doubtful.

Nevertheless, Agafonov could keep his ties with Ignatova, and turn from a loyal manager into a “purse” for assets and operations that Chemezov himself has no opportunity to carry out.

“Walk” in the “Tavrichesky”

Funds for the purchase could also come from the other side – from the oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, who left the country after the start of the Special Military Operation. In 2015, the Tavrichesky bank from St. Petersburg collapsed. Subsequently, several of its former shareholders were found guilty of embezzling 300 million rubles from the bank’s accounts.

In 2015, the structure came under the reorganization of the bank International Financial Club (“IFC Bank”). Previously, Suleiman Kerimov was among the owners, and at the time of the start of the reorganization, the main owner was the ONEXIM group of Mikhail Prokhorov (through its main offshore, ONEXIM HOLDINGS LIMITED).

And at about the same time, Anton Agafonov was appointed head of the Board of Directors of the rehabilitated Tavrichesky Bank. Those. the entire process of reorganization, including the distribution of funds to ensure the rights of contributors from the budget, was to be controlled by Agafonov. And he acted in the interests of the main owner Prokhorov. And, apparently, not only him. In 2010, the same Ekaterina Ignatova acquired a stake in IFC Bank.

It is interesting that at that time the money of the Chemezov family was managed by the structures of Ruben Vardanyan – the general director of Rostec himself spoke about this. At first it was the Troika Dialog investment company, then the offshore multifamily office Quinta Capital Partners (QCP), which managed the funds of Vardanyan himself. Recall that in 2019 Troika Dialog was suspected of withdrawing about $5 billion from the Russian economy.

And in 2022, a scandal broke out related to the aforementioned reorganization of the Tavrichesky bank by the IFC. The Federal Tax Service of Russia accused IFC of artificially diverting cash flows from the rehabilitated Tavrichesky Bank, which caused billions in damage to the state budget. Writes about this “Business Petersburg”.

The tax authority drew attention to the financial scheme used by the sanatorium in the bankruptcy case of the Vyborg Timber Corporation and, possibly, which brought its structures a profit of 13 billion rubles: in a different arrangement of documents, the money could have gone to the state represented by the Federal Tax Service itself, as well as DIA and PJSC “Rosseti”.

The supervisory authority considered that the structures of the ONEXIM group, reorganizing the Tavrichesky bank, passed by the bankruptcy estate income from the debtor’s activities in the amount of more than 12.7 billion rubles. Rosseti has already shown interest in the proceedings, since, we recall, back in 2015, 13 billion rubles belonging to Lenenergo hung in Tauride.

Can Anton Agafonov be a “purse”. Photo: https://m.apkpure.com/id/anton-agafonov/com.app_antonagafon.layout

At the same time, the Central Bank sent financial assistance in the amount of 28 billion rubles to the rehabilitation of the IFC. It turns out that while the state is investing public money, Prokhorov’s structures can hide their own income so as not to pay Tauride’s depositors? We add that at the end of 2022, the bank received a loss of 64 billion rubles.

When Anton Agafonov left the post of head of the Board of Directors, it is not known exactly. At a minimum, he has not been working in this position since 2021. Now this post is occupied by Anatoly Khvostikov

Who will go to the Premiere

The question remains what will happen to the Premiera shopping center next. According to our sources, the shopping center may eventually go to structures associated with VTB and its head Andrei Kostin.

Anton Agafonov is the CEO of Business Technologies JSC, 100% owned by Anna Krivosheeva. Previously, she held the position of CEO herself. She also acts as a director and founder of two more structures – Consulting Plus JSC and Business Consulting JSC.

She also acted as a director and founder of two more structures – Consulting Plus JSC and Business Consulting JSC. All three were established in 2023, all have the same line of business – business and management consulting.

Photo: Rusprofile.en

It is possible that these companies will later acquire assets that can be alienated in various ways.

Director of JSC “Business Consulting” is Svetlana Fedorenko. She also headed VTB Capital Holding JSC until March 2022. And she changed her place of work – from the post of head of a huge holding to an “empty” office? The asset is clearly waiting for the pumping of money and other property.

Photo: Rusprofile.en

In addition, VTB Holding has a development division, Hals Development, which can work with people close to Chemezov. Earlier, The Moscow Post told the story of the Sochi JSC Zhemchuzhina, which bought the Beijing hotel from Hals Development, suggesting that people close to the head of Rostec could be behind the Zhemchuzhina.

However, Sergei Chemezov will certainly have other “confidants”. For example, the owners of MR Group Roman Timokhin and Viktor Labuzdko, whose cases have also been reported by The Moscow Post more than once. Recall that it was MR Group that transferred the property of the Moscow Machine-Building Enterprise (MMP) named after. Chernyshev. Previously, the plant was part of the Rostec circuit, went bankrupt and was put under the hammer. Now skyscrapers are being built in its place.

In any case, if Sergei Chemezov is involved in the situation with the “Premier”, neither he nor his people will remain at a loss. And something will fall to Anton Agafonov.