The Dorogomilovsky Court of Moscow handed down another sentence in absentia to the former general director of the shipping company Sovcomflot, who is hiding abroad. Dmitry Skarga and entrepreneur Yuri Nikitin. They stole 1.5 billion rubles from the subsidiary of a state-owned gas carrier. For this they were sentenced to 15 and 18 years of strict regime.
“Taking into account already terms received in 2018 For the theft of more than 8 billion rubles from Sovcomflot as part of an organized crime community, Dmitry Skarga and Yuri Nikitin were sentenced to 15 and 18 years of strict regime, respectively. The new episode is related to the theft of a gas carrier from a subsidiary of a state-owned company “in order to make a profit from its operation and resale,” reports Kommersant. The damage amounted to 1.5 billion rubles, of which the accused Nikitin managed to legalize 900 million rubles.
It follows from the indictment that Nikitin, together with Skarga, using controlled foreign companies, seized the right to build a sea-going gas carrier. The goal was to make a profit from its operation and resale. At the same time, Skarga was also the chairman of the board of directors of the “subsidiary” of the state company, the Fiona Trust & Holding Corp. company registered in Liberia. He held the position from 2004 to 2013.
Thus, the defendants caused Fiona Trust & Holding Corp. material damage in excess of 1.5 billion rubles. Both convicts settled in the UK and are on the international wanted list, so the sentence will be calculated from the moment of detention, extradition or deportation to the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism). […]
“Kommersant”, 02/14/2024, “The gas carrier was abused”: As Kommersant already told, six years ago the former general director of Sovcomflot Dmitry Skarga, the ex-president of Novoship OJSC Tagir Izmailov and businessman Yuri Nikitin, depending on the role of each, were found guilty under Art. 210, part 2 art. 201, part 4 art. 160 and part 3 of Art. 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (organization of a criminal community and participation in it, abuse of power, especially large-scale embezzlement and legalization of criminal proceeds). During the investigation of this case, the Investigative Committee established that the former management of Sovcomflot leased ships to a number of controlled offshore companies at reduced rates, and they, in turn, provided ships for sublease at market rates. The difference, as established by the investigation and the court, was shared by the parties to the transactions.
In total, as follows from the verdict, they stole more than 8 billion rubles, of which over 5.5 billion rubles. the defendants managed to legalize. An entrepreneur from St. Petersburg, Yuri Nikitin, was recognized as the organizer of the criminal scheme. Also involved in the fraud, in addition to him and two top managers, was the head of another Sovcomflot subsidiary, the British Fiona Maritime Agencies, Yuri Privalov. He entered into a pre-trial agreement and was sentenced to three years in a general regime colony. — Insert K.ru
“Kommersant”, 09.26.2022, “The businessman was given a deadline and the parking space was returned”: In Moscow, the 2nd Court of Cassation considered the defense’s appeal against the verdict handed down in 2018 in the case of theft of funds from Sovcomflot OJSC in the amount of more than 8 billion rubles. The persons involved in the investigation were the former general director of this company Dmitry Skarga, the ex-president of OJSC Novoship Tagir Izmailov and businessman Yuri Nikitin. […] The defense of Mr. Izmailov, who was found guilty of participation in an organized crime and theft, appealed the verdict, reached the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism), and in June of this year it sent the case to the cassation instance. The businessman’s lawyer insisted that the findings of the trial court did not correspond to the actual circumstances of the case, and his client’s guilt had not been proven.
The cassation court considered the guilt of Mr. Izmailov to be proven, who, “following the instructions of the head of the criminal community, using his official position and the authority of the position he held, gave his subordinates mandatory instructions, influenced the decision-making of boards of directors of companies…, ensuring the adoption of those necessary for the criminal organization solutions for theft of property.” At the same time, the court recognized that the author of the complaint was right in that the verdict did not contain motivated grounds for imposing an additional punishment in the form of a fine, although the law requires their presence. As a result, the sentence imposed on Mr. Izmailov, 11 years in a maximum security colony, was upheld by the cassation court, but excluded the additional punishment of a fine. And since the convict’s parking space in the house on Startovaya Street had previously been seized as an interim measure for its payment, the court returned it to its owner. — Insert K.ru