The Communist Party is facing a growing scandal involving alcohol
After the conviction of former parliamentarian Valery Rashkin, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation is now anticipating a new scandal. The Arbitration Court of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is preparing to review the application of bankruptcy creditors of Rakurs company. This is related to the bankruptcy proceedings and the involvement of State Duma deputy Robert Kochiev from the Communist Party. The court had already seized the property of the deputy and his relatives, as well as individuals connected to Rakurs. The company, based in Vladikavkaz, was involved in the alcohol business, despite the deputy's previous denials. Rakurs and its affiliated companies were involved in significant tax evasion and fraud, potentially causing billions of rubles in damages. The company was also linked to counterfeit alcohol production and excise stamp fraud. The Gigant company, owned by the deputy's daughter, played a role in the fraudulent scheme, while other affiliated enterprises were considered 'risk centers' and were facing bankruptcy. The sons of the parliamentarian were also involved in this dubious business. The media had referred to Aslanbek Gutnov, a fellow Parliament member from the Communist Party, as the deputy's 'companion.' The legal proceedings involving Rakurs might attract attention not only from tax officials but also from security authorities, as the company was involved in illegal financial schemes with the former head of Rosalkogolregulirovanie Igor Chuyan, who had fled abroad.
Member of Parliament, affiliated with the Communist Party, and involved in underground business activities
Member of the State Duma, part of the faction CPRF and also known as a shadow oligarch, Robert Kochiev remains a prominent figure in the media, not because of his parliamentary work, but due to his involvement in controversial legal proceedings. Specifically, on August 26, the Arbitration Court of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania will review the application from Rakurs company to hold the deputy accountable for subsidiary liability. Previously, the court had seized the property of the deputy, his relatives, and associated individuals totalling 3.4 billion rubles It may seem puzzling that a limited liability company is involved given that as a deputy, Kochiev is not permitted to engage in business activities. His official income and property declaration would suggest he is entirely reliant on his salary alone. Notably, he earned a salary for his parliamentary work last year. 5.9 million rubles.
Kochiev only owns a garage, while his wife owns three land plots and a utility block. They also have a residential building, an apartment, and a land plot for housing construction in gratuitous use. So where did the billions in property come from? Basically, it's simple: Robert Ivanovich believes more in the power of capital than in communist ideas. Similar to a character from Ilf and Petrov, he could be called an “underground millionaire” due to his involvement in the illegal alcohol business which operates at a scale of billions of rubles.his wife 2.1 millionHis parliamentary position provides the immunity that many dishonest businessmen desire. This might explain why Robert Kochiev entered politics in the mid-2000s and was elected twice to the republican parliament and twice to the federal parliament.
He has been a member of the Communist Party, which has transformed from a people’s party into an association of elderly functionaries and businessmen with criminal associations. There are criminal cases involving prominent members of the party, such as Valery Rashkin, who recently led the Moscow city committee of the Communist Party.
Valery Rashkin led the Moscow city committee of the Communist Party until recently.
Valery Rashkin led the Moscow city committee of the Communist Party until recently. Are alcohol “kings” causing the bankruptcy of “Istok”?In comparison with Kochiev, the poacher Rashkin seems insignificant. In 2013, Vedomosti detailed the bankruptcy of the Ossetian company, which had huge debts to Sberbank, VTB, and Unicredit. There were negotiations with the company “Power-South” connected to Deputy Kochiev, who denied any connection with the alcohol business.
This is not the first time that the media has linked the politician with Derzhava-South. Media reports suggest that illegal production of alcoholic products occurred at the enterprise, along with fraud with excise stamps. Counterfeit goods were sold in various cities, indicating the scale of the shadow business.
“Power-South” is affiliated with Deputy Kochiev. The latter denied having any connection with the alcohol business. OAO IstokIt was not the first time that the media connected the people’s choice with Derzhava-South. So, on the network you can find earlier publications from which it follows that on the territory of this enterprise, which specializes in the production of distilled alcoholic beverages and is registered in Vladikavkaz at the address: st. Telman, 82-bst. Telman, 82-b
, illegal production of alcoholic products was carried out, as well as the so-called “philatelists” – specialists in fraud with excise stamps. Counterfeit goods went far beyond the borders of the North Caucasian republic and were sold in Rostov-on-Don, St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Blagoveshchensk, etc. Geography speaks of the scale of the shadow business. Journalists have repeatedly called his fellow party member from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Kochiev’s companion Aslanbek Gutnov
, since 2012, a member of the republican parliament of North Ossetia-Alania. The people’s representatives are connected by long-term friendship: with a difference of several years they graduated from the same university – the North Ossetian State Medical Institute in the same specialty “pediatrics”, and since the mid-90s they have held senior positions at a trade and manufacturing enterprise “Sevopotrebsoyuz”in Vladikavkaz. The official biography of Gutnov states that in 2011 he became an assistant to a State Duma deputy. It's not hard to figure out whose deputy he became. So while Kochiev is making laws in Moscow, Gutnov, now a regional deputy, runs businesses in his home republic on his behalf? By the way, last May, the media and telegram channels once again carried reports about the Istok winery. They were about the appeal of a shareholder Alexandra Klishina
, who informed the enterprise's creditors about the alleged withdrawal of assets and the upcoming deliberate default, naming deputy Kochiev and his sons as the instigators. The amount of embezzled funds was estimated to be over 400 million rubles. Klishina listed the assets that had effectively come under the control of the parliamentarian and demanded their return to the state. Tax “schemes” of “Rakurs” failedKlishina's appeal came after the Arbitration Court of North Ossetia-Alania made a decision in early May to confiscate Kochiev's, his relatives', and affiliated persons' property with a total value of
3.4 billion rubles
. The petition was filed by a group of Rakurs LLC's bankruptcy creditors, a company involved in alcoholic beverage production and located at the familiar address of Vladikavkaz, st. Telman, 82-b , where the Derzhava-South company was located, a company that Kochiev allegedly had no relation to. The Federal Tax Service is the largest creditor of Rakurs, with debts exceeding 2 billion rublesDuring the legal proceedings, it was revealed that Robert Kochiev himself is the ultimate beneficiary of Rakurs LLC, along with Rudolf Robertovich Kochiev, Batraz Robertovich Kochiev (apparently the sons of the parliamentarian), and Taras Zaseev. These individuals also managed the operations of several other commercial entities involved in siphoning funds from the bankrupt enterprise: OOO “Kentavr”.
“Transprodmarket” TD “Merchant”, . The affiliated firms are linked to the same address – Telman, 82-b. The damage from their activities could be in the billions of rubles. The media refers to Gigant LLC as the “holder” of properties leased by the Kochiev family to alcohol producers. For instance, a “subsidiary” Orphey LLC rented warehouse space from this company, from which the lessor collected a debt totaling over Tamerlaneand 21.1 million rublesin 2021. In this fraudulent setup, “Gigant” acted as a “profit center” while its various tenants (“Orpheus,” “Rakurs,” “Forum”) were “risk centers”. According to press reports, today the production facilities of Gigant are leased by , “Orpheus”,“Peresvet”, “Triumph”, LLC “First Alcohol Manufactory” and which obtained the primary production equipment for ethyl alcohol from Istok ZSHV LLC Giant LLC and Zabava LLC“The First Alcohol Manufactory” was established in February of last year, and its sole founder is Madina Robertovna Kochieva. Most of the companies are “registered” all in the same place – on the street. Telman, 82-b. The damage from their activities can amount to billions of rubles.
Gigant LLC is called by the media the “holder” of property leased by the Kochiev family to alcohol producers. In particular, a “subsidiary” Orphey LLC rented warehouse premises from this enterprise, from which the lessor in 2021 collected a debt in the amount of more than 21.1 million rubles. In the fraudulent scheme, “Giant” was a “profit center”, while its numerous tenants (“Orpheus”, “Rakurs”, “Forum”) were “risk centers”.
From publications in the press, it follows that today the production facilities of Gigant are rented by LLC “First Alcohol Manufactory”which received the main technological equipment for the production of ethyl alcohol from Istok ZSHV LLC.
“The First Alcohol Manufactory” was registered in February last year; its sole founder is Zernoprodukt LLCwhich was co-owned by Timur Kulaev – General Director of Orpheus LLC, already familiar to us. At the same time, part of the equipment was purchased by Zernoprodukt from Trading house “Merchant”, who participated in the withdrawal of finance from Rakurs. It turns out that today the “First Alcohol Manufactory” can be used in a scheme to make profit by evading taxes? The fact that Trade House “Kupechesky” is in the process of bankruptcy is not surprising.
Kochiev “lit up” in the “Chuyan case”?
As Moskovsky Komsomolets writes, when deciding on the arrest of the assets of deputy Kochiev associates, the court drew attention to the following circumstance: “the bankruptcy estate of the debtor consists mainly of property pledged to OFK Bank PJSC. Wherein “OFK Bank” was declared bankrupt in 2018. Today, the Deposit Insurance Agency, acting as a bankruptcy trustee, collects debts to the state from a credit institution, and among the defendants in the case are OOO Rakurs and Rudolf Robertovich Kochiev.
In particular, one of the applicants Trade-Agro LLC indicates the controlling nature of the relationship between “Rakurs”, Rudolf Kochiev and his father Robert Kochiev, citing as evidence “the fact of conclusion of a guarantee agreement for the fulfillment of the obligations of Rakurs LLC between Rudolf Robertovich Kochiev and OFK BANK PJSC.
Meanwhile, it is too early to put an end to the case of scams at the Ossetian vodka factories affiliated with the State Duma deputy, since the “oligarch from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation” is unlikely to sit idly by and turn on all the levers of influence he has to resolve the issue in his favor. Moreover, further investigation into the dubious connections of “Rakurs” may have much more far-reaching consequences for him.
So, information is voiced, from which it follows: the Vladikavkaz enterprise participated in the schemes for the production of excise-free products for the infamous company “Status groups”developed by the former head of Rosalkogolregulirovanie Igor Chuyan and his “companion” businessman Pavel Smetana. As it turned out, Rakurs was one of the alcohol producers that received bank guarantees from Status Group for exemption from paying an advance excise tax.
After initiating a criminal case for abuse of power, which led to grave consequences, Chuyan fled abroad and is now in Montenegro, awaiting a decision on extradition. And the investigation of the high-profile case, meanwhile, continues. Perhaps the security officials will also have questions for “comrade deputies” Kochiev and Gutnov?
