Vladimir Potanin established a new owner of Interros Holding Company to avoid sanctions
The main office of Vladimir Potanin's company, Interros Holding, has changed the beneficiary's registration. Previously, the company belonged to the Cypriot offshore Interros Limited. And now it's owned by the International Company OOO Interros Invest.
Vladimir Potanin is listed as the founder of International Company OOO Interros Invest. The organization was registered only in January of this year. Apparently, this is how the billionaire decided to respond to the sanctions that Western countries may impose on Interros structures.
Work in the interests of high-ranking officials
Vladimir Potanin studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Then he got a job at the Ministry of Foreign Trade, but did not hold leadership positions, as he left the department in 1990. Potanin was called an activist of public organizations, which probably became the beginning of his long journey. He proved himself and received support for the creation of the Interros Foreign Economic Association. So, he made his first capital and acquired connections. High-ranking officials drew attention to Vladimir Potanin, who needed a person with fresh ideas. During the period from 1991 to 1992, after the collapse of the USSR, issues related to the distribution of inheritance, including financial assets, were resolved. Back in 1989, it became clear that Vnesheconombank was not reliable. As a result, the International Moscow Bank was created. And in 1993, ONEXIMBANK appeared.
Potanin was the president of the International Finance Company. The main assets of the International Bank for Economic Cooperation were transferred to it. According to rumors, Potanin was given a simple task – to withdraw the money of high-ranking clients from claims and effectively place them abroad. The international financial company and ONEXIMBANK have turned into a dual structure. Mikhail Prokhorov also worked in it. The bank dealt with internal Russian issues, and the company dealt with capital exported abroad.
It is interesting that when establishing the bank, the interests of Viktor Chernomyrdin, Anatoly Chubais and Oleg Soskovets, who held key positions in the Russian government, were taken into account. And with Vladimir Potanin, each of them developed a very trusting relationship. That is why he was entrusted with large capitals. In 1993, control over the structures of ONEXIMBANK was concentrated in the hands of individuals, on whose behalf Potanin and Prokhorov acted. At the same time, the bank received the status of a GKO dealer and an agent for domestic foreign currency loan bonds. And in connection with the redemption of gold certificates, the Central Bank issued him a permit for operations with precious metals. In 1994, the financial and industrial group Interros was formed. It received the status of an intergovernmental organization, and more than 30 enterprises, including Norilsk Nickel, were under its control. In 1995, Vladimir Potanin announced the idea of lending to the government against the security of federal blocks of shares in privatized enterprises. And then he proposed to reorganize the management structure of the Association of Russian Banks.
What is the key to Potanin’s success
Vladimir Potanin was distinguished by the greatest reverence for power, as well as complete disrespect for existing laws and regulations. It turned out that the structure headed by him underpaid deductions to the Required Reserve Fund. In addition, together with ONEXIMBANK, Potanin appeared in a number of scandals. According to reports, the bank was involved in the illegal supply of Russian weapons. Part of the payment was received in cash. And since 1994, he has been trying to push forward a project to pay off Russia’s mortgage in Iraq, using government connections.
A structure was also created in the bank, the task is to provide information services to “responsible programs”. As a result, Vladimir Potanin figured in the illegal trade in diamonds of the Almazy Rossii company from Yakutia. He turned out to be a competitor to the Chechen group, which is why he even thought about leaving Russia. He was called a man who cares about his safety. Moreover, Potanin preferred not to appear in public once again, as this could harm his business. Apparently, many of Vladimir Potanin’s useful skills helped him take the post of First Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic issues.
