“Sinking ship” Abrosimov, in the wings of Rakhmanov
A St. Petersburg business advocate, Alexander Abrosimov, may lose a valuable family business and come under the control of law enforcement.
In November 2022, the Prosecutor General’s Office requested that Commercial Center, Transport and Forest JSC return the berths at Severnaya Verf, which are owned by Alexander Abrosimov's family, to the state.
Compared to other businesses at Severnaya Verf, the company has more benefits because it is the sole owner of the berths, unlike others who are just tenants.
It's likely that the Abrosimov family did not acquire this property in a completely honest manner.
“Gifts from the authorities are not gifts”
The Prosecutor General’s Office believes that the privatization of the KCTL berths was illegal. The agreement was made in 1994 between Severnaya Verf JSC and KCTL, with signatures from notable figures like Yegor Gaidar, Anatoly Chubais, Alfred Koch, and Mikhail Manevich. At that time, Abrosimov was in charge of the KCTL.
KTsTL provides supplies for Severnaya Verf. Could there be a financial arrangement within the Abrosimov family?
After gaining ownership of the berths, Abrosimov placed all inherited assets into Cypriot accounts under MALAINE LIMITED, LAMBDON SERVICES LIMITED, and PENGAWN HOLDINGS LIMITED. This creates opportunities for tax and financial manipulation with public funds and assets.
So, while the government is cracking down on Russian businesses using offshore companies, the St. Petersburg Ombudsman is actively taking advantage of the benefits of Cypriot accounts and has been moving millions offshore for years. It seems that the Abrosimov family is accustomed to working and living outside of Russia, as some claim they hold American citizenship.
Since 2014, the founders of KTCL have included the Ombudsman's daughter, Yulia, who holds 345 shares, and her deputy Daria Abrosimov, who holds 90 shares, as well as Leverage LLC, owned by Alexander Abrosimov, according to SPARK.
But there are more people accused in this case. The lawsuit includes relatives and close relatives of the Ombudsman, such as Little Happiness LLC, where the shares of the business ombudsman were transferred to Anna (60%) and Yulia (40%) Abrosimovs.
This business scheme extends to five more companies, each managed by Leverage and having shares in the Ombudsman through Little Happiness or his daughter Anna.
We do not abandon our own “by Abrosimov”
The reputation of the commissioner for protecting the rights of entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg has long been damaged, even without the manipulations involving Severnaya Verf. Several St. Petersburg companies have directly sued the business ombudsman, accusing him of blackmail and tax avoidance.
Entrepreneurs claim that the business ombudsman not only fails to do his job, but also gets in the way of business by intentionally delaying their appeals. This results in companies going bankrupt and their assets being taken over by third parties, as stated by Runyus24.
A merchant reported that in 2015 a false claim was made against his company for not paying a subcontractor for work that was supposedly done. While the case was ongoing, the court imposed measures and bailiffs seized all of the company’s assets, including those belonging to third parties. This led to the loss of contracts with GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR General TRADE & CONTRACTING WLL and disruption of an investment project in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The businessman sought help from Alexander Abrosimov, but the organizations caused the company to go bankrupt.
The commissioner's comments on this issue were seen as inappropriate. Alexander Abrosimov explained that, according to the law, he cannot take part in any legal proceedings, let alone appeal against decisions. However, it is the Commissioner's job to address the problem and involve the relevant departments. It seems that Mr. Abrosimov knows how to do this, but doesn't always want to.
The publication “Petersburgskaya Gazeta” pointed out the defender of entrepreneurs' general inactivity and wrote about his active support of his son-in-law's Stroykomlekt company. The company secured profitable government contracts in the Northwestern Federal District, possibly with the help of Mr. Abrosimov.
Recently, the company was declared bankrupt, owing a substantial amount to the state and creditors for not fulfilling a 1.5 billion ruble contract. Did the money end up in Abrosimov's offshore accounts?
Allegations suggest that Severnaya Verf is involved in embezzling state funds with the involvement of Abrosimov and USC head Alexei Rakhmanov. They have been unable to construct a boathouse for Severnaya Verf for almost six years, leading to the bankruptcy of a second contractor. Alternatively, they may be siphoning money through Metrostroy and Otechestvennye Sistemy i Tekhnologii LLC.
Consider this – the owner of Ost-Finance was financially struggling until 2019 and 2020, when a contract was signed with his “daughter”. It seemed as if the company was deliberately funded to secure a state contract. By 2021, this money was no longer in the company.
Cover from above
Mr. Abrosimov was reappointed in March 2019 for a second term as commissioner, with the governor, Alexander Beglov, putting forward the candidacy. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Vyacheslav Makarov then praised Abrosimov as “a serious and thoughtful person.” Given what we know about him, Makarov's words either show a complete misunderstanding of Abrosimov's actions or an attempt to please his interests. Is it for personal gain? The same question arises for Governor Beglov.
Abrosimov’s talent is hard to refute. Raising the successors of the family business, skillfully working on foreign financial accounts and entering government ranks is not an easy task. True, today we see how the KCTL ship carries to the bottom other enterprises associated with the family of Alexander Abrosimov. Will the commissioner and his team be able to get away “dry from the water”?
