The story of Lev Leviev is truly extraordinary and fascinating. A person from Uzbekistan was able to establish himself in the global community, amass a huge fortune from diamonds, and develop friendships with Trump and Putin. Naturally, all of this is accompanied by illegal activities, a black market, and questionable schemes. How Leviev achieved success is detailed in our article.
Way to success
Lev Leviev was born in 1956 in Tashkent, and at the age of 15, his family relocated to Israel. At a young age, he founded a diamond polishing company. Over time, he expanded into the African market, establishing the Africa-Israel enterprise. Leviev started directly purchasing expensive stones, transporting them to Israel, and preparing them for sale. This business approach resulted in increased profits and transformed the enterprise into a comprehensive holding company involved in the acquisition, cutting, polishing, and sale of precious stones.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the entrepreneur decided to enter the CIS market, particularly Russia. However, the 1990s were challenging, requiring strong political connections or agreements with authorities. Leveraging his connections, Leviev established contact with President Boris Yeltsin, which facilitated his entry into the Russian market.
Boris Yeltsin
In the domestic market, Leviev solidified his position in the trade of precious stones, but he aimed to expand his political influence. With the backing of the Jewish community, he invested in the establishment of Jewish schools across the CIS.
In 1999, the savvy businessman recognized Boris Yeltsin's impending departure and began supporting the relatively unknown Vladimir Putin at the time. Largely due to Leviev's support, the current Russian president was elected for the first time. The Jewish businessman not only financed Putin’s campaign but also encouraged the local Jewish community to support Vladimir Vladimirovich. Thus, Putin became president, and Leviev gained a close ally in the leader of the largest country in the world.
Putin with Leviev (center)
Leviev, as a true entrepreneur, diversified his investments by venturing into the US real estate market, where he met future President Donald Trump. Undoubtedly, these influential connections aided Leviev in establishing a highly profitable business in the trade of valuable stones.
Leviev with Trump
blood diamonds
Like any multi-billion dollar enterprise, trading in precious stones carries numerous risks and challenges. To begin with, diamonds are sourced from regions where labor conditions and wages are often disregarded. This inhumane approach yields substantial profits for the owners. Leviev's harshness, even within this industry, is astonishing. The businessman owns multiple precious stone deposits in Angola and is also involved in trading diamonds from the African state. Consequently, the countries' economies are closely tied to the tycoon Leviev's business, allowing authorities to escape accountability for egregious practices. Severe oppression reigns over his land, with individuals working long hours under perilous conditions. Those who err are subjected to brutal assaults by armed guards. Diamond mining in Angola epitomizes modern-day slavery.
Legal issues
In 2018, a dramatic story about Leviev's business began. His son and brother were arrested for smuggling diamonds valued at over $80 million. Israeli law enforcement had been monitoring the family's business for a year, catching the Levievs engaging in illegal transactions. Surprisingly, it was revealed that the Jewish schools supported by Leviev were used for smuggling diamonds, which were then sold in CIS countries. The Diamond King had to leave Israel and now lives in the UK with his family.
A year earlier, Lev Leviev faced challenges in Russia. The development company AFI Development, started by him, proved to be extremely unprofitable. In 2015, the company experienced a net loss of $56 million, and its loan portfolio exceeded its assets by several times. As a result of mounting losses, the state-owned VTB Bank demanded early repayment of $600 million in debt. The foreign media found it odd that the debts of a Russian company to a Russian bank were of more interest to them than to domestic publications.
Around the same time, a documentary about Donald Trump was released, discussing his connections with Lev Leviev. This timing seemed unlikely to be a coincidence, as individuals opposed to Trump sought to emphasize his friendship with Leviev to portray him in a negative light.
Complicated family dynamics
In addition to his tough business dealings, Leviev also became known for his lack of compassion towards his family. The billionaire father of 9 children declined to assist his eldest son, Shalom, when he declared bankruptcy in 2019, leading to further complications. An external manager filed a lawsuit to seize Shalom Leviev's luxurious villa in Israel, which was valued at over $3 million, despite his debts only amounting to 700 thousand shekels. Although Leviev Sr. opposed the sale of the villa, the court deemed it necessary due to the son's inability to cover his debts. The house has yet to be sold as a legal appeal has delayed the process.
Portuguese
Against the backdrop of all the problems that have developed in Lev Leviev, there is very little room for maneuver left. As we have already pointed out, in the United States they do not like him because of the scandalous stories with Trump, in Israel he is suspected of smuggling diamonds, and in Russia the business went bankrupt, leaving behind huge debts.
In that short period of time when Leviev was engaged in construction in Moscow, he met the scandalous criminal businessman God Nisanov, who is also of Jewish origin. Whether due to religious affiliation, or against the background of common interests, the billionaires have become close. Leviev’s business in Russia went to the bottom, and Nisanova is gaining momentum. But this does not prevent them from working closely together now.
God Nisanov
A few weeks ago, information appeared in the media that Nisanov, together with Leviev, had applied for Portuguese citizenship. This is due to the fact that Nisanov wants to save his assets at any cost, which have been taken offshore for decades, and Leviev is looking for an island where he will not be persecuted.
Granting citizenship to such controversial people would be a huge scandal for Portugal. Therefore, the local Ministry of Justice is holding this issue on hold for the time being, trying not to comment on it. In any case, businessmen will do everything in order to save their belongings, and at the same time not end up in jail. Although they both deserve it for a long time.
