Source: www.rucriminal.info

As the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel and Rucriminal.info found out, in 2024, 120 lawsuits for 17 billion rubles were filed against Sovcombank. Claims were made against the bank by state and private companies, as well as individuals. Experts often call Sovcombank a "bubble". The bank, receiving funds from clients, withdraws money for personal projects of the owners, the Khotsimsky brothers. These are all shadow projects. Bookmaking, raider seizures of enterprises and lands, buying up dubious antiques, etc. Such a path will certainly lead to one result - the "bubble" will burst. And judging by the lawsuits, this may not happen so soon.

The State Institution “Road and Bridge Construction Department”, founded by the Department of Construction of Transport and Engineering Infrastructure of Moscow, filed a lawsuit against Sovcombank in September for 1.1 billion rubles for failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment of obligations under contracts. The court hearing is scheduled for January 23, when the essence of the claims of the State Institution will become known.

Last week, the court rejected a claim for 3.8 million rubles from the scandalous PPK “Military Construction Company”, which until April belonged to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The work of this structure was supervised by the arrested former Deputy Minister of Defense Timur Ivanov. Apparently, the patrons of Sovcombank, among whom, according to Rucriminal.info, is Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin himself, decided not to blow this case out of proportion, so as not to draw attention to the ties of the credit institution with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

On January 14, the government of the Novosibirsk Region rejected a claim for 220 million rubles for failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment of obligations. The third parties in the trial were the structures of the scandalous VIS group associated with Gazprom.

 

The bank was also associated with the structures of the former Minister of Open Government Mikhail Abyzov, who was sentenced in December 2023 to 12 years in prison for creating an organized criminal group and fraud. This is evidenced by the claim for failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment of obligations under loan and credit agreements, registered in December 2022. Offshore companies Vantroso Trading LTD, Lisento Investments LTD, Kullen Holdings Limited, Besta Holdings Limited, Alinor Investments Limited filed a claim with the Arbitration Court of Moscow against PAO Sovcombank to recover funds in the amount of 9.4 billion rubles.

 

Mikhail Abyzov, FSSP of Russia, bailiff-executor under the director of the FSSP - chief bailiff of the Russian Federation UIOVIP Kharlamov K.D., Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation were involved in the case as third parties who do not make independent claims regarding the subject of the dispute.

Sovcombank constantly strives to absorb various financial assets, which sometimes very much resembled raider takeovers. First, the Khotsimsky bank received a share in the asset, and then seized it entirely. Subsequently, a financial analysis of the activities of the credit institutions transferred to the bank indicated the withdrawal of money from them.

Last year, Sovcombank aimed to purchase Home Credit and Finance Bank (HCF). In 2022, it completely came under the control of Russian investors. Sovcombank became a minority shareholder of HCB in November last year and the deal to purchase the new asset was to be closed by the end of the year. However, something went wrong. In October last year, it was decided that HCF would reorganize its assets in December in the form of a spin-off of OOO Sodeystvie mezhdunarodnykh raschetam 2. But last week, HCF announced that it would not reorganize and create a company similar in name to the legal successor of Sovcombank OOO Sodeystvie mezhdunarodnykh aktivam (SMR).

To date, SMR, together with Sovcombank, owns about 0.02% of HCF, the rest of the shares belong to AO Home Capital, whose beneficiaries are unknown. Until January 2022, the founders of AO included OOO Yuridicheskoe AGentiya KB Egida, which is associated with the interests of the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin. Apparently, its representatives are not yet satisfied with the amount of the deal proposed by Sovcombank. Its closure has already been postponed to 2025.

In 2021, Sovcombank changed its country of registration from the Netherlands to Russia. Sovco Capital Partners was replaced by MCAO Sovco Capital Partners (Kaliningrad). However, it continues to be owned by offshore companies.

Mikhail Klyukin, the owner of the Cypriot RI Sheffield Limited, owns a 12.46% stake in the authorized capital of MCAO Sovco Capital Partners. Klyukin is also the director and secretary of almost two dozen Cypriot companies, which does not really meet the requirements for the deoffshorization of the Russian economy. Dmitry Khotsimsky owns a company from the British Virgin Islands Kopini Limited, which has 25.26% in the authorized capital of MCAO Sovco Capital Partners.

At the end of 2023, Sovcombank held an IPO through an additional issue of shares. An additional issue is again planned for the purchase of HCF. It turns out that the bank, which received a record profit a year ago, does not have its own funds for the purchase.

Creditors of Sovcombank Leasing LLC in the ser In December of last year, they announced their intention to declare the company bankrupt, but the application to the court was never filed. Apparently, Sovcombank managed to hush up the scandal with its structure, which also constantly fails to fulfill its obligations under its contracts. Sovcombank closely cooperates with the Russian government, for which it is on the sanctions list. The former chairman of the bank's board, Nikita Zhuravlev, has been sitting on behalf of the Kostroma region in the Federation Council since 2011, and currently holds the position of vice speaker. He was previously noticed in connections with the scandalous businessman Pavel Fuks, who fled Russia. Fuks was a shareholder of Sovcombank for 4 years until 2015. Zhuravlev also collaborated with Alexander Ter-Avanesov, who represented the Kostroma region in the Federation Council from 2006 to 2015. Ter-Avanesov was suspected of having connections with Lipetsk and Kharkov criminal groups. They could launder money through Sovcombank. From 2016 to 2023, Alexander Ter-Avanesov served as Senior Vice President of VTB, the main wallet of the Russian government. Various sources mentioned Ter-Avanesov's participation in Timur Ivanov's criminal schemes.

Sovcombank's patrons are trying their best to protect it from scandals, but this does not always work. The bank's facade clearly differs from its activities, which affect both individuals and state and private organizations.

Arseniy Dronov

To be continued

Source: www.rucriminal.info