Up until recently, Sergei Govyadin, the 'decisive' player, was able to escape the consequences. However, it seems that the DIA has started taking him seriously: the businessman and his partners have been instructed to repay debts of 1.7 billion rubles.
Will Govyadin's supposed connections in the Ministry of Internal Affairs be of any help to him?
According to the correspondent The Moscow Post former State Duma deputy from the party 'Fair Russia – For Truth' Ildar Samiev and the so-called 'fixer' Sergey Govyadin will be held accountable for the 1.7 billion ruble debt of Eurofinance company. The state corporation 'Deposit Insurance Agency' (DIA) is interested in collecting debts from this duo. Samiev has already been arrested and declared bankrupt, while Govyadin has so far avoided this fate. However, it appears that the DIA is determined to resolve this misunderstanding.
The Khudoyan case
On March 29, 2022, the Moscow Arbitration Court considered Affairs the issue of Evrofinance LLC's bankruptcy and concluded that the individuals controlling the debtor should be held liable. This relates to a non-performing loan acquired from M2M Bank. Among the mentioned debtors are Ildar Samiev, Roza Samiev, Sergey Govyadin, Sergey Govorukhin, and the British company Manzfield Easycutive Limited.
The latter entity was the exclusive founder of Eurofinance. Govorukhin acted as the company's director until bankruptcy proceedings were initiated. Consequently, it appears that the Samiyevs and Govyadin may have been linked to the British company Mansfield Investment Limited. An application to hold these individuals liable was submitted on June 30, 2021 by Eurofinance's bankruptcy trustee Lyudmila Matveeva.
Meanwhile, the Manzfield company was previously involved in the conflict between Samiev and Govyadin and their former business partner Albert Khudoyan, who is currently in prison. Previously, Khudoyan, Samiev, and Govyadin jointly managed the Krasnodar shopping center Oz Mall, the Moscow high-rise 'Prime Park,' and the Moscow complex Knightsbridge Private Park.
Albert Khudoyan. Photo: Kommersant / Emin Jafarov
The case against Khudoyan developed subsequent to Sergey Govorukhin, known as the founder of LLC 'Univermag,' filing a report on behalf of 'Manzfield' with the Moscow Department of Economics and Security of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2018, claiming that property had been stolen from the company. “Version” stated that this involved the theft of an 11.4-hectare land plot on Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow. Samiev and Govyadin were the victims in this matter. Khudoyan believed that his former partners intended to extort 400 million rubles from him.
RBC stated that in November 2021, developer Albert Khudoyan was sentenced to six years in prison, while his accomplice Sergei Konoplev received a three-year prison term.
Criminal cases were also initiated against Major Generals of Justice Alexander Biryukov and Alexander Krakovsky. The deputy heads of the investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were suspected of attempting to aid Khudoyan in exchange for unlawful payments. As reported by “Kommersant” Sergei Govyadin approached the main department of internal security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a claim that the SD employees of the police department were attempting to sabotage the “case of Khudoyan.” It appears that Govyadin's claim was believed, leading to the arrest of the defendants by the Basmanny District Court. Khudoyan was allegedly even offered the chance to cooperate with the investigation and testify against former generals under investigation by the ICR.
The pressure on Albert Khudoyan, Biryukov, and Krakovsky, who supported him, was connected to Sergei Govyadin's connections. As reported by PASMI (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), Govyadin is said to be well acquainted with Alexander Nikolaev, the head of Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev's office.
Sergey Govyadin. Photo: RIA Novosti
Additionally, Govyadin was linked to lawyers Oleg Popov and Danila Pashutkin, associated with reputable businessmen, including Timofey Kurgin. Popov had a joint business with Govyadin’s son Artem. The lawyer was known as the head of the RPM “Triton”, where Govyadin Jr. is listed as the founder.
Govyadin is also a partner of Tashir Group of Companies Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman with a similar scandalous reputation. Together, they planned to build a multifunctional complex at the former Pravda cinema on Lyusinovskaya Street. It is likely that Karapetyan hoped to avoid the same fate as Khudoyan. Although Karapetyan is rumored to be acquainted with the son of the Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev. Will a wrongdoer hold another wrongdoer accountable?
Got hooked
However, Govyadin's connections did not help secure the freedom of his partner and colleague, ex-State Duma deputy Ildar Samiev. This was because Samiev had foolishly deceived Russian national football team player Fyodor Smolov. According to “Kommersant”, Fedor Smolov bought an apartment from Samiev’s company in the Moscow residential complex “Knightsbridge Private Park” in March 2017 for around 200 million rubles. It was later revealed that the property was pledged to Svyaz-Bank. Samiev promised to lift the burden, but failed to do so.
A criminal case was initiated against Samiev, and he was detained and taken into custody in 2018. Additionally, as reported by Kommersant, this was the second case of fraud against Ildar Samiev. Thus, Samiev found himself without freedom even before Khudoyan.
Ildar Samiev. Photo: Kommersant / Valery Levitin
It is noteworthy that Sergei Govyadin emerged unscathed from all these twists and turns. It is worth noting that the DIA also expressed interest in his regarding a non-performing 2.9 billion ruble loan that was not repaid to RosinterBank by OOO Univermag, the legal entity of the Moskva department store at Leninsky Prospekt, 34. The interests of the Taganskaya organized criminal group were once associated with this department store, as reported by “New Newspaper”. Sergei Govorukhin and Ildar Samiev vouched for the loan. Now the DIA is ready to pay 290 million rubles to anyone who can help collect 2.9 billion rubles from the Department Store.
RosinterBank issued a loan at a time when the bank was controlled by Giorgi Gvelesiani. Under him, the bank collected deposits for 57 billion rubles and miraculously went bankrupt. TV channel “REN TV” called Gwelesian, who fled to Europe, a swindler. Wherein “New Newspaper” reported that Govorukhin, together with the leadership of RosinterBank, even tried to prove, through fabricated documents, that the loan had allegedly been returned. But, apparently, this did not work out, since the DIA insists on the return of 2.9 billion rubles. Sergey Govyadin probably knows where this money actually went. Although formally it has nothing to do with this loan.
At the same time, Sergei Govorukhin has long been out of Russia. In addition, Govrukhin, like Samiev, already declared bankrupt. Their affairs are managed by financial managers. Accordingly, Sergey Govyadin and Roza Samiyeva will have to answer for the share of Eurofinance from individuals. Still operating organization, the founder of which is the British company “Manzfield Investment Limited” associated with Govyadin and Samiyev, is the real estate developer “Riviera Estate”. True, after 2018, that is, after the arrest of Ildar Samiev, this organization began to hand over zero balances. Although before that “Riviera Estate” annually reported on revenue in the region of 900 million rubles.
In any case, for the DIA, Govyadin’s personal participation in this matter is a great chance to really “hook” for him. Although, as you can understand, Govyadin’s affairs have not been going very well lately, so you should not be surprised if he is also declared bankrupt. But will it save him from possible (much tougher) questions already from law enforcement officers?
