Skrynnik Elena RusCrime - The Russian Crimes News

Full name:
Skrynnik Elena

Skrynnik Elena Date of Birth

30 August 1961

Skrynnik Elena Citizenship

Russia

Skrynnik Elena Professional field/official position

Agriculture Minister of Russia (2009 – 2012)

Skrynnik Elena biography

SRKYNNIK Elena Borisovna (b. 1961) graduated from the Chelyabinsk Medical Institute in 1986.

In 1992, Elena Skrynnik graduated from the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation, after which she interned in France and Germany as a leasing specialist. In 1994, she established the interregional company Medlizing, collaborating with the Russian Ministry of Health in the procurement of foreign medical equipment. Since 1997, Skrynnik has led the Russian Association of Leasing Companies, and since 1998, he has been the head of the expert council on leasing at the Federation Council.
In 2000, she became a Member of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
From December 2001 to April 2009, she was the General Director of the Agro-Industrial Leasing Company (Rosagroleasing). The company was suspected of corruption during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin. In 2012, the Accounts Chamber noted that there was a “lack of data and information on the total volumes of agricultural machinery, equipment and breeding animals purchased and leased by Rosagroleasing.”
In November 2008, Skrynnik became a member of the Supreme Council of the ruling party, United Russia. From March 12, 2009, to May 21, 2012, Elena Skrynnik held the post of Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. After her resignation in the fall of 2012, the investigative bodies tried to interrogate Skrynnik over a case of corruption in Rosagroleasing, but she did not appear for interrogation, explaining this by staying in France at the time.
During the years of the leadership of Skrynnik in the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and some time after her resignation, the official Kremlin propaganda highly appreciated her activities in this post, assuring that in those years an uninterrupted system of providing fuel and lubricants for agricultural machinery was created. There was only one problem: the company responsible for this, founded by Skrynnik, was state-owned, though almost all of Russia’s agriculture is private. This has created opportunities for corruption.
However, shortly after Skrynnik’s resignation, it became clear that even from an official point of view, her Ministry has become a hotbed of corruption.
On November 27, 2012, Rossiya-1 released a 25-minute investigative documentary film “Those in Power.” In it, Skrynnik was called an accomplice in the embezzlement of 39 billion rubles from the state budget. The authors of the film noted that the billions of rubles allocated by the state, but not received by farmers, ended up on the accounts of the British company Bryce-Becker, founded by Skrynnik, as well as on the accounts of the AgroEuroSoyuz company, founded by her brother Leonid Novitsky.
Like all the top officials of the Putin regime, Elena Skrynnik never lived in poverty, and her income, even officially declared, significantly exceeded her ministerial salaries. So, according to her official tax return in 2008, her income amounted to 10.735.000 rubles in 2009 – 10.835.000 rubles, and in 2010 – 7.384.000 rubles, not including real estate and cars. At the same time, her overseas property (namely, a house in France), the presence of which she ultimately admitted, was not included in her declaration. Moreover, she is suspected of owning the elite La Prairie clinic on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, while being a Russian government official.
In August 2017, the Swiss prosecutor’s office dismissed the case against Skrynnik about money laundering and lifted the arrest from her local bank accounts, which at that time amounted to 70 million Swiss francs. Most likely, the case was dismissed due to the lack of cooperation on the part of the Russian investigating authorities in the collection of facts and, as it is supposed to be in Western justice system, strict evidence of the corrupt activities of the Russian ex-official. Apparently, an objective trial of the activities of Skrynnik not only in Russia but also in any other country is possible only after the fall of the Putin regime in Russia.

According to the newspaper “Vedomosti” Skrynnik is a founder and a co-founder or the following companies:

LLC “Medlizing”
CJSC «Control»
LLC “Russian medical company” (co-founder – Koykolanen, Olga Vladimirovna)
LLC “Rusmedinvest-M”
LLC “Leasing-Transit” (co-founder – Baranov, Alexey Yu)
CJSC “Investregionlizing” (co-founders – CJSC “Medlizing”, Russian Association of Leasing Companies, LLC “Russian medical company”, LLC “Rusmedinvest-M,” Krivtsova, Larisa Valentinovna)
LLC. “Exclusive Dekoreyshn” (co-founder – Henri de Monspe)
LLC “Aesthetic Center” Swiss Perfekshen “
LLC. “Continent Art” (co-founders – LLC “Avtogrif”, LLC “Nice Classic” Molchanov, Andrei Mikhailovich, Baranov, Alexey Yurievich)
CJSC “European Business Cooperation Center” EuroInvest “(co-founder – Starovoytenko, Anatoly Ivanovich).
“Rosagroleasing” (gen. Director)

LLC “Aesthetic Center Swiss Perfection», which became a subsidiary of La Prairie Swiss clinic of aesthetic surgery

Income and property of Skrynnik, according to official statements, are:

2010 – The earnings: 7 million 384 thousand rubles… She owns the land of 4800 square meters, residential buildings in 2142 and 231.9 sq. m., apartment 115.4 m., as well as the Mercedes-Benz C class LM 500.
2009 – income of 10 million 835 thousand rubles. Two cars, including – BMW 760.
2008 – official income – 10 million 735 thousand rubles

Skrynnik, by her own admission, has a house in France (area of about 200 sq. M), where she lives with her four children since autumn of 2012. Property abroad was not specified in tax declarations of Skrynnik during the years of her work the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. She is not a member of the civil service after retiring.

Skrynnik Elena family

She was married three times, all three marriages ended in divorce.

First Elena’s husband – Sergei Skrynnik, whom she married being a student and with whom she lived for six years, then divorced, the former Head of procurement of Tangible Resources of the Chelyabinsk region, in summer of 2012 found guilty of accepting bribes and sentenced to 7 years in prison.

The eldest daughter Elena from her first marriage died in 2003 in a car accident at the age of 21 years.

From 2004 to 2007,she was married to Yuri Kukota. Elena Skrynnik kids from her second marriage – twins Irina and Mikhail (b.2005). The marriage broke up on scandalous circumstances, publicized in the press.

The third husband of Helen (2008 to 2010) – Dmitry Belonosov (r.1971, Novokuibyshevsk, Samara region), singer in the genre of pop music. Before acquaintance with Skrynnik he was known as soloist of the youth group “Revolvers”. This marriage was dissolved in 2010, according to the marriage contract, signed on the insistence of Skrynnik, everyone stayed at their property and savings; the owner of the company of Elena Borisovna, according to Belonosov, he only was on paper, he never received the income from their activities.

According to an interview Skrynnik for printing in November 2012, she has four children in total; two babies were born in August of the same year in Moscow, registered in the registry office by a court decision. Together with the children Skrynnik lives on her own villa on the Cote d’Azur in France since 2012, periodically coming to Russia to participate in the investigation.

The younger brother of Skrynnik – Leonid Novitsky, a Russian businessman and race car driver, Honored Master of Sports of Russia, two-time winner of the FIA World Cup on rally-raids. He is known as the winner of the best results in the “Dakar” among the Russian participants of the rally in the history of existence.

Skrynnik Elena crimes:

numerous facts of corruption both in the Rosagroleasing and at the post of Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation;
the fact that she is a member of the leadership of the ruling party of the Putin regime, United Russia, thus supporting the Kremlin’s criminal policy;
anti-market measures in the agricultural field, including participation in politically motivated protectionism directed against the Western trading partners of the Russian Federation.

Kompromat, 10/10/2005

Perhaps, domestic farmers or machine builders ultimately benefit from the activities of Elena Skrynnik? Does not look like. A quote from the same article: “This is the dry line from the act of checking of the activities of the Accounting Chamber of Madame Skrynnik:” … the analysis of leasing operations shows at that the transfer of agricultural technology to lessees under finance leases (leasing) the cost for combines and tractors with a leasing period 5 years as compared with the value of the factory (without transportation costs) increased by 38.9% (23.1% of them are intended for the leasing company) “… leasing state system that seems to be designed to support the domestic machine builders, stalled in fact.

Further, Russian equipment is a no longer purchased, and begun acquired exclusively German, Dutch and American unit. No, the budget money was not spent at it. The scheme was subtler: imported equipment was taken by foreign manufacturers on credit, which they provide themselves (for example, through the US Ex-Im Bank or the German agency Hermes). Then all these countless rows of tractors, trailers, seed drills and grain winnow machines diverge across Russia through the immense distribution network of “Rosagroleasing”. A “Rosagroleasing” has a stable and powerful gesheft on this.

Sobesednik 13.04.2009

But who has a grudge against Skrynnik seriously, it’s agricultural producers, many of which are experienced a tough hand of a director of “Rosagroleasing” themselves. They retell stories about the omnipotent Skrynnik: “I went in, saw the shoes for a few thousand dollars, I think, I’ve already seen them somewhere … Remembered: Field Day, on Elena Skrynnik.” And diamond earrings are also discussed, and a quarterly premium of the head of the “Rosagroleasing” with 5-6 zeros … But only anonymously and behind the eyes. Manufacturers of heavy trucks are actually afraid of “Madame Leasing”, as they called Skrynnik below one’s breathe. In fact Skrynnik rules “Rosagroleasing” autocratically. Her mother worked under her as well as her brother, Leonid Novitskiy, who, except for tractors, enjoys fast cars and even participate in the race. Following the appointment of Skrynnik as a Minister, her position in the “Rosagroleasing” was inherited by her brother. The Board of Directors of “Rosagroleasing” makes quite a puppet impression – with a role that is given to him, it is formed of scientists of little-known institutions. Especially strange that the information vacuum surrounding the company, which has a registered capital of 72 billion state rubles. Omissions give rise to speculation: factory directors below one’s breathe are talking about 20- and 30-percent premium to the price of equipment, and it is no clear, where they settle eventually.

Stringer, 05.06.2009

In order to resolve the issue of the education of children, Yuri suggested Elena to meet on neutral territory, and agree on everything. Then the story of an ex-husband of a minister is similar to the scenario of the criminal saga.

…

– In the street near the car I was met by the head of security of my wife, Vladimir Smol, – said Yuri to the police. – In conversation he and three guards stood around the perimeter at a distance of 10 meters.

According to Kukota, after the meeting he was afraid for his own life.

• During the conversation, my ex-wife said that if I continue to defend their right to communicate with their children, she will hire people who will kill me – Yuri stunned the police with his statement. – She also said that I am – “a simple man who walks the streets, that any unpleasant story could happen to me.”

Stringer, 08.07.2003, Sobesednik, 07.04.2009

Media attention to Skrynnik and her past activity sharpened with her entry in the post of Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation in March 2009, but the first mention, associated with the scandal, refers to 2003, when Skrynnik was head of leasing companies “Rosagroleasing”. In a letter to the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation N.G. Smirnov, published on the website “Kompromat.ru” exposing her activities in this post, and described working budget scrolling scheme, which Skrynnik involved.

The scheme is as follows. All Russian factories, working with Skrynnik, opened accounts not only in the state “Rosselkhozbank”, but also in the commercial “Akademhimbank” (now “ConverseBank-Moscow”). Its chairman, Mr. Antonov previously held the position of First Deputy General Director of “Rosagroleasing”. The second account in the bank of Antonov, according to the letter, was a precondition for cooperation with “Rosagroleasing”. According to this scheme, as soon as the budget goes to the account of “Rosagroleasing”, they are redistributed between the suppliers of machinery – Russian machine-building companies. And are shifted to the accounts in the commercial “Akademhimbank” already. And kept unrealized for years there.

In addition to these charges, there are excerpts in the article from the document of verification of the Accounting Chamber of the activity of “Rosagroleasing”, which confirm that the funds, received by the company for the purchase of agricultural technology, are not fully spent. Furthermore, among the detected violations were identified the following episodes:

Money paid into the charter capital of OJSC “Rosagrolizng”, OJSC “Russian Agricultural Bank” and State Unitary Enterprise “Federal Agency for Food Market Regulation”, almost 99% are used for the payment of wages, payment of taxes, commission to the bank and licenses, but not to conduct the activity, provided for by the charter.

By the agreement on January 28, 2002 between CJSC “Moscow investment real estate agency” and “Rosagroleasing” provided the search of the property. In connection with the execution of this contract, the remuneration of OJSC “Moscow investment real estate agency” was $ 30 thousand dollars.

After the Audit Chamber has counted that the equipment on credit costs the farmer 40 percent more expensive, the percentage dropped to 2-3 per year. But at the same time “Rosagroleasing” takes pledged almost all the property, and in the case of non-payment on the loan the farmer risks to stay not only without equipment, but also generally without anything.

In fact Skrynnik rules “Rosagroleasing” autocratically. Her mother worked under her as well as her brother, Leonid Novitskiy. After the appointment of Skrynnik as a Minister, her brother inherited her position in the “Rosagroleasing”.

Skrynnik have formed a team of supporters, which included Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who heads the board of directors of “Rosagroleasing” and even the President Dmitry Medvedev, who worked with Skrynnik on the national project “Agriculture”.

“Rosagroleasing” squandered the budget on corporate parties.” “Gazeta”, 20.11.2009, Vedomosti, 02.02.2010

At the end of 2009, the General Prosecutor’s Office conducted an audit of “Rosagroleasing” and identified a number of violations. In particular, the company has created a network of intermediaries between the company and the lessees, which led to higher prices for the company’s services. In addition, after the conclusion of the contracts of purchase and sale of technology, “Rosagroleasing” in some cases, transferred to companies-sellers hundreds of millions of rubles as a prepay, while the equipment was delivered after long periods, up to a year. All this time, private companies could use the funds for their own purposes, including transferring them on deposits and accounts of offshore companies. The prosecutor’s office was dissatisfied with the fact that the company has not opened regional offices, while in 2007 the Board of Directors decided to set up 11 branch offices.

After checking of the General Prosecutor’s Office, at the end of November 2009, the First Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of agriculture, as well as Chairman of the Board of Directors Zubkov convened an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors of “Rosagroleasing”, where he required from the CEO of the company Leonid Orsik to return the money, transferred to counterparties in offshore and on deposits, to stop the advance of non-produced equipment and to ensure an equal access to federal leasing of all agricultural machinery manufacturers. Orsik was to report on elimination of shortcomings at the January meeting of the Board of Directors of “Rosagroleasing”, but on December 31 he died of congestive heart failure at the age of 48 years.

Experts do not exclude, that the problems of Skrynnik could appear because of disagreements with Zubkov, because he is interested in the fact that all agricultural policy matters became isolated on him personally. In addition, he was forced to respond hard on violations of “Rosagroleasing” to lift himself from the blow, as he led the company’s board of directors.

“Interventionists were remembered in bad account,” Kommersant, 05.02.2010.

At the beginning of 2010 took place the Accounting Chamber audit of using of federal budget funds, allocated for interventions on agricultural markets, raw materials and food at the end of 2008. According to this test, unplanned expenditure of the 2010 budget for storage of 8 million tons of grain, purchased in the framework of grain interventions 2008-2009, will be at the amount to 8 billion rubles. It didn’t’ manage to sell this grain in the crisis, and now the spent money will literally rot.

On the mechanism of intervention cereals is expected that part of the low-cost grain of the new harvest be purchased with the possibility of selling it with price increase. Wherein, the state agent for the intervention receives a fixed fee, and profits from the “smoothing” of the grain market price shall be transferred to the budget. When buying a record amount in 2008, Agency on regulation of the food market (ARPR) (it was headed by Vasily Krutin) acted as a state agent.

Auditor of the Accounts Chamber, Mikhail Odintsov questioned the necessity and legitimacy of intervention in 2008 on such a scale, arguing that part of the grain is purchased “on the basis of illegitimate orders of the Ministry of Agriculture that have not been registered in the established order of the RF Ministry of Justice.” According to the “invalid orders” of the ministry, then headed by Alexei Gordeyev, the grain was purchased for the sum of 970 million rubles.

Skrynnik expressed itself on the government’s presidium that the grain, purchased by the state in such amount allowed to support producers, stabilize prices and create a financial basis for fieldwork conducting.

Vedomosti, 02.02.2010

Companies, with which “Rosagroleasing” worked with, were not strangers to Skrynnik. In 1998 Skrynnik established three firms in Moscow – “Rusmedinvest-M”, “Medlizing” and Russian medical company. In 2000, the Russian medical company, “Medlizing” and their joint company “Investregionlizing” through affiliated entities (LLC “Himgarantkonstruktsiya”, “Montazhstroykonstruktsiya” and “Akademrieltservis”) purchased 15% of “Akademkhimbank”. Subsequently, the majority of technology providers to “Rosagroleasing” became the bank’s customers.

The business of two companies, related with structures of Skrynnik – TD “Grain” and “Voronezh land” – was also built on a partnership with a leasing state-owned company at least partially. Both are established in 2002, and both sold grain, which farmers, who had no real money, used to pay off with “Rosagroleasing”.

The main complaints of the Prosecutor General’s Office are linked with the relations of “Rosagroleasing” with Saransk Excavator Plant (OJSC “Sarex”). The prosecutor’s office claims (referring to the Federal Financial Monitoring Service) that “Sarex” was transferring money, received from “Rosagroleasing”, on bank deposits, as well as some commercial organization, whose operations are connected with the withdrawal of money in offshore.

“Sarex” is also connected with the structures of Skrynnik. In April 2007, the owner of 50.42% of shares of “SAREX” was the company “Agroevrosoyuz”. “Agroevrosoyuz” was established in 2002 by TD “Grain”.

And in May 25 the Board of Directors of “SAREX” was replaced, it included, in particular, the general director of “Agroevrosoyuz” and former legal department employee of “Rosagroleasing” Yuri Karpov, head of procurement “Rosagroleasing” Vladimir Dryazgov, President of “Medlizinga” Leonid Zubov, head physician of the aesthetic center Swiss Perfection Evgeny Makarov, member of the advisory council of “Rosagroleasing” Alexander Ezhevskiy and Leonid Orsik, head of the Department of Agriculture scientific and technological policy at that time. As is in the case with Akademhimbank, arrival of the Skrynnik team on the plant led to its prosperity. State order from “Rosagroleasing” helped “SAREX” to become the largest Russian producer of tractors in 2008.

Skrynnik took the whole team with her from “Rosagroleasing” to the Ministry of Agriculture. Two deputy directors of the company – Sergei Korolev and Oleg Aldoshin – became the deputy minister. Also, the former CEO of “Volgogradagrolizing” – one of the sub-leasing partners of “Rosagroleasing” – Alexander Belyaev became the deputy minister. Deputy Head of Department of “Rosagroleasing” Vyacheslav Nungezer led the Department of the Ministry of science and technology policy, and the head of the department on work with the personnel of the leasing company Olga Dulepova-Meneylyuk – a relevant department of Ministry of Agriculture. Former co-owner of the leasing company “Lipetskagrosnab” and the head of the regional subdivision “Rosagroleasing” Oleg Donskih from August 2009 led the department of administrative work of the Ministry of Agriculture.

“State auctioneer was estimated at 300 thousand rubles of bribes” Kommersant, 16.01.2010

Scandals associated with both former husbands of Skrynnik. In January 2010, the ex-husband of Skrynnik (a student) Sergei Skrynnik, the incumbent head of the department of public procurement of Tangible Resources of the Chelyabinsk region, was detained for taking bribes in Chelyabinsk. According to investigators, he had received remuneration from commercial firms for protection during the auctions during 2009. Criminal proceedings were instituted on the fact of “taking bribes on a large scale.” Materials of testing of UBEP regional police department became the basis for the initiating. According to the investigating authorities, Mr. Skrynnik, together with unknown persons, received over 300 thousand rub. From representatives of business organizations in September and December 2009 and an expensive alcohol. Bribes were given for illegal actions in making the application out of time and access to participate in the auction, as well as for the overall protection of the participation of commercial entities in the management of ongoing auctions, and for the elimination of competing organizations at competitions. The accusation is not presented to Skrynnik yet.

Life.Ru, 04.06.2009

Yuri Kukota, married Skrynnik in 2004, wrote a statement to the police, accusing her of murder threat. Two children were born at Kukota and Skrynnik in 2005, Michael and Irina. Two years later, the marriage has cracked. Skrynnik filed for divorce, and then didn’t give to see the children. According Kukota, he suggested Skrynnik to meet and discuss the issue. According Kukota, Skrynnik with security threatened him with a physical violence. According to Skrynnik, Kukota asked her to marry him again, and she promised to think. The criminal case did not initiate.

Stringer, 27.11.2012

A lot of claims accumulated to her at law enforcement agencies, responsible for investigating economic crimes, for 12 years. The first scandal occurred in 2002. The Audit Chamber, checking the state company, has determined that the value of agricultural machinery, purchased for the needs of the agro-industrial complex, increased by 38.9% in comparing to the selling price of the manufacturer, although the products are purchased by the federal leasing fund, could not go up by more than 18%.

Then Skrynnik went out dry from the water. Some time later the General Prosecutor’s Office has revealed the scheme of the budget scrolling: “Rosagroleasing” credited suppliers – was buying an agricultural machinery on prepaid with deferred delivery to a year. Suppliers also transferred money to bank deposits and offshore accounts. For example, in December 2008, “Rosagroleasing” on agricultural supply contracts transferred to the Saransk Excavator Plant more than 730 million. Rub. and acts of its acceptance, amounting to less than 80 million. Rub. were signed in October 2009. The investigators found that funds, obtained from the “Rosagroleasing”, “Sarex” transferred on deposit accounts, as well as some kind of a commercial organization, whose operations are connected with the withdrawal of funds to offshore. In total, the investigators wanted to find out from Skrynnik a fate of about 40 billion rubles of budget.

Stringer, 04.12.2012

The current leadership of Rosagroleasing believes that with Elena Skrynnik, the company led money abroad. In an exclusive interview to “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, the former Minister of Agriculture has denied all charges, including, she explained how she got a property in France. Elena Skrynnik recalled that she had long been a businessman and now quite a wealthy man.

This photo was taken on a very different event, a more serious – government. And watch matches the situation, says our expert: “They are called the Bell & Ross BR01 Airborne 672 Diamonds Limited Edition. It is a rare, ultra-cool model, released in 2009 in the amount of 99 pieces. Encrusted with 672 black and white diamonds The European retail price is – 40 000 Euro.”

Sobesednik, 10.12.2012

In special pets of Madame Leasing are – so farmers called imperious Skrynnik during the time of controlling “Rosagroleasing” – were two companies: “Sarex” – Saransk Excavator Plant, which was owned by the company “Agroevrosoyuz” (owner is – a brother of Skrynnik Leonid Novitskiy) since 2007 and concern “Tractor plants”, a big owner of which is listed a son-in-law of Nikita Mikhalkov, Albert Bakov. During the 2008 crisis, the state has allocated to “Rosagroleasing” to support agricultural producers 21 billion rubles: 5.6 billion received “Rosselmash”, at 500 million – “Eurotechnica” and another Stavropol enterprise, and 13 billion rubles appeared in the company, otherwise associated with Skrynnik. Surprisingly, the fate of these considerable resources from the state budget is still not interested the General Prosecutor’s Office. In “Rosagroleasing” worked her brother and mother, Tamara Nowickaya. They regularly became the founders and owners of agricultural companies, which were not afraid either of drought or crop failure. Investigators have established links of Skrynnik with the companies TD “Grain” and “Voronezh land.” – “Sarex” received 700 million rubles for the machinery, which he has not made, and our machines, which had a real demand, were idle in warehouses at this time, – complained Ludmila Orlova. – “Sarex” took our drawings as a basis, simplified them, decreased production and began selling off the assembly line for the same money that was worth and our equipment – ruble to ruble, – said Sergey Mernikov. – Strict conditions were put to us – to insure the equipment in a particular company, and at rates higher than the market (about 15%), and to allocate funds not only in the state “Rosselkhozbank”, but also in the private “Akademhimbank”. It was clear, with whom were these companies connected, and no one didn’t hide it in the backroom conversations, but such voluntary-forced “contributions” would simply ruined us, as manufacturers. We refused the enslaving conditions. As a result, they stop taking our equipment, and we stood without orders for almost three years, – told “Interlocutor” the chairman of “Rosagromash” association board of directors Konstantin Babkin.

EG.ru, 20.12.2012

Elena Skrynnik appeared in the center of a scandal again after the shown on “Russia 1” Channel documentary “Power haves”. No sooner had Elena leave the chair of the Minister of Agriculture, as he was accused of embezzling of 39 billion. Rubles. This debt was revealed in “Rosagroleasing” company, which headed Elena Skrynnik from 2001 to 2009. The main function of the company – the purchase of agricultural equipment on state money and giving it to the leasing of large farms. The official was charged that the money, allocated by the state for farmers, allegedly received on accounts of the British company “Bryce Becker” and the company “AgroEvroSoyuz”, co-founders of which were Skrynnik and her brother – racecar driver Leonid Novitskiy.

Star Hit, 16.01.2013

– Dmitry, they say that, becoming a minister, she rewrote a part of the business on you?

– I do not see anything wrong in this. At that time, she was my wife, and about the appointment in the Cabinet of ministers do not warn for six months, it goes on very fast. According to the official status of “A” category, she had no right to do business. Therefore, she re-registered her business on me. At that time, she was the owner of several companies. Two of them, if I remember correctly, were associated with leasing. Subsequently, they disbanded due to uselessness. A third company – Salon aesthetic medicine after the divorce went back to Elena Borisovna. Although, I was the owner legally, but did not receive dividends.

Moskovsky Komsomolets, 28.10.2015

However, experts of the Investigation Committee conducted a study of the documents of the company for 2008-2009, on which many suspicious contracts were paid, and found that Elena Skrynnik signed them. By her hand, not a facsimile. Although Ms. Minister assured that all employees just slapped bills with a stamp with her name.

Examination of the documents was held in the framework of a criminal case under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code (fraud on a large scale), initiated on charges of theft of funds of “Rosagroleasing”. Skrynnik herself also was a figurant in the case. But as a witness.

Former agriculture minister has repeatedly stressed that she has nothing to hide from the native country. The sum of 39 billion rubles is – the main proof of the theft in the corporation, Skrynnik called it an ordinary debt, which arose after her departure.

RT, 28.10.2015

“The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that it opened a proceeding against the former Russian Minister of Agriculture and other accused in spring of 2013, based on the suspicion of money laundering. In this regard, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office confiscated property. Federal prosecutor’s office after their own numerous investigations requested a legal assistance from the Russian authorities. However, the requests remained unanswered to date, “- said the radio station “Moscow speaking” in the prosecutor’s office.

“Century”. 03/29/2016

General Prosecutor’s Office of Switzerland reiterated: in the case of money laundering, accounts of the former head of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia Elena Skrynnik were arrested. In response to journalists’ request an official spokesman Linda von Burg said that the arrest was affected on the amount of about 50 million Francs. “Madame Leasing” continues to deny this information.

“The Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FPO) of Switzerland confirms that in spring of 2013 was initiated a criminal proceeding against the former Minister of Agriculture of Russia and others on suspicion of money laundering (Article 305 “of bis” §2 of the Criminal Code of Switzerland.)” – Said Linda von Burg, in response to the request of European journalists. The representative of the Swiss General Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed once again: Bern blocked accounts of Elena Skrynnik and other suspects in the amount of about 50 million Swiss francs. “In this context, the FPO seized the assets”, – said von Burg. According to her, after the conducted “broad investigation of the case” FPO appealed to Russia “with a request for mutual legal assistance”, but “this request is not done until now.” Recall, it is expected that the former Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation is related to the criminal scheme for embezzlement of budget funds, which was revealed by the Interior Ministry of RF in spring of 2012. It was reported that a group of officials of the state company “Rosagroleasing” registered fictitious supplies of equipment for farms and distilleries. State money, allocated for these purposes, then were transferred to the accounts of the British company, selling agricultural machinery, some of them fell to the accounts of “Bryce Becker” company, founded by Ms. Skrynnik, and “AgroEvroSoyuz”, curated by the brother of the minister. “According to the investigation, from 2007 to 2012 various accounts of Skrynnik in Swiss banks received $ 140 million, the origin of which caused serious suspicions”, – say sources, familiar with the investigation.

“Vedomosti”. 03/30/2016

Russian authorities intend to re-open the investigation of so-called case of “Rosagroleasing”, where the ex-Minister of Agriculture Elena Skrynnik featured, told “Interfax” an informed source. “Currently we are considered the issue about the reopening of the investigation against the former leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture”, – he said.

December 12 sources of “Interfax” reported that the investigation of the case about the embezzlement of more than 1 billion rubles from a state-owned company “Rosagroleasing” is suspended indefinitely. The investigation took this decision due to “the failure to identify the person, liable to be accused.” Interlocutor of “Interfax” then warned that, as there are many episodes on some other directions in the case, “not related with former officials of the Ministry of Agriculture”, the investigation may be continued.

In November 2012 the TV channel “Russia 1” in the program “Special Correspondent” of Arkady Mamontov showed the film “Power haves”. It argued that in the state corporation “Rosagroleasing” at a time, when Elena Skrynnik, the future Minister of Agriculture, was its leader, were abducted 39 billion rubles of budgetary funds. However, as the filmmakers believe, the money went to the accounts of companies, founded by herself Skrynnik and her brother Leonid Novitsky.

In the same year was opened a criminal case on the fact of the theft of funds from the state corporation. In 2013, Skrynnik was interrogated in this case as a witness, her deputy Alexei Bazhanov was detained, and who later fled abroad.

October 27, 2015 the Head of International Legal Cooperation of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia Saak Karapetyan said that the Russian supervisory authority asked Switzerland to seize the 12 million Swiss francs in the accounts of Bazhanov, accused of stealing 1.125 billion rubles of funds of “Rosagroleasing” “and a number of Russian banks.”

The Swiss prosecutor’s office later said that on its own initiative imposed an arrest on the accounts of former Russian deputy minister for the sum of 7 million francs on suspicion of money laundering. It was also announced the freezing of accounts of Skrynnik at 60 million francs.

Skrynnik Elena