“Rublev” is trying to reach Gutseriev in Cyprus.

The court has frozen the assets of the former top managers of Rublev Bank, and the hearing has been postponed to July 13. This information is available on the website kad.arbitr.

The legal case has been ongoing for over three years, and it may have connections to Mikhail Gutseriev. More details can be found in the article The Moscow Post.

Transition from banking to the oil industry

The story became public in 2018 when Rublev lost its license, leading to the arrest of Grigory Gurevich, who had previously served as the bank's president. RBC reported these events. Investigative actions are also being taken against other top managers of Rublev, with the bank now undergoing liquidation.

In February 2021, the former shareholders of Nobel Oil, led by Gurevich, and foreign investment funds CIC and OPFG sold the company to Cypriot Sarenoti. This was reported by “Kommersant”. It seems they realized that law enforcement was closing in, prompting the sale of the asset to take place.

But why was it sold offshore? Nobel Oil is a valuable asset. Could it be that Gurevich wants to retain ownership and has therefore sold it to familiar parties? Alternatively, is Gurevich not relevant, and this sale is driven by powerful individuals eyeing the asset?

According to reports, the offshore company Sarenoti, which now owns shares in the oil company, is linked to the family of the late State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Vakha Agayev, and his son Bekhan. Vakha Agaev was a long-time friend of the oligarch Mikhail Gutseriev, which may have influenced Bekhan Agaev's role as an adviser to Mr. Gutseriev at Russneft. Could this suggest Gutseriev's involvement in the deal?

It's known that Gutseriev’s Neftisa provides operator services to Nobel Oil, and Agaev Sr. was a businessman. His “Yug-nefteprodukt” included the Krasnodar refinery, which was sold in 2005 to “Russneft” by Mr. Gutseriev. Is everything fitting together?

Who else but Gutseriev?

Incidentally, like Gurevich, Gutseriev also had his own bank and also experienced a similar fate when the bubble burst. According to Ura.ru, a “hole” of 300 billion rubles was found in the bank's capital in 2017. In 2020, Gutseriev’s accounts were almost frozen, as reported by Interfax. However, he managed to resolve the issue without legal proceedings.

It's presumed that assets and valuable real estate were acquired using depositors' money, which was then likely used as collateral for loans to acquire new assets, which were then in turn mortgaged. This seems similar to the situation with Gurevich and his company, where assets were also frozen. Could this be a coincidence, or did Gurevich borrow the scheme from Gutseriev? And if so, could the businessmen be aware of each other and collaborating?

Let’s go back to Gutseriev. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten away with it. In 2006, a case was opened against him for illegal business activities. As the situation unfolded, charges of tax evasion and money laundering were added. But in 2010, the case was suddenly halted, as reported by Kommersant.

While the investigation was ongoing, Gutseriev was hiding overseas, with suspicions that he was in Baku. According to FLB, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev personally assured that he would not extradite the billionaire wanted in Russia. It's believed that Gutseriev and Aliyev have friendly or business relations. Gutseriev is making significant investments in the country.

In 2019, UtroNews published an article stating that Nanolek, a company owned by the stepson of Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Vladimir Khristenko, registered several drugs in Azerbaijan. Journalists suggested that Golikova’s relative gained access to the Azerbaijani market in exchange for reducing or writing off Binbank’s debts to Gutseriev. Could this be the reason he evaded legal proceedings so easily?

To elaborate on the entrepreneur’s international connections, Forbes refers to Gutseriev as a “friend” of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Furthermore, there were searches conducted at the offices of Gutseriev’s companies and his residence at the end of 2019, in connection to the smuggling of oil products through Turkey to Ukraine. This was reported by Kommersant.

Considering the ongoing legal cases against the oligarch in his home country and his previous flight, is there an indication that Gutseriev is planning to leave the country? However, leaving for Ukraine is currently impossible, and there is unrest in Belarus. It appears that if necessary, Gutseriev may have to return to Azerbaijan.

Impenetrable duo

Let’s talk about Gurevich again. We suggested that with Gutseriev’s help, he can maintain his assets until he is released.

According to Rusprofile, Nobel Oil LLC has been owned by the offshore company DOOMERSTONE HOLDING LIMITED since its establishment, during Gurevich's time. Behind this was a certain Lydia Menelau, and together with Andreas Menelau, as of 2021, they are listed as affiliates of the OnlineKazFinance microfinance organization.

In addition, Andreas Menelau is associated with Oleg Deripaska’s Rusal.

Photo: https://efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy

So, it appears that the billionaire may also have interests in Gurevich's company?

Besides Nobel Oil LLC, Gurevich previously managed JSC NK Nobel Oil, which was dissolved after his and his companies' withdrawal from its capital. He also led Nobel-Mol LLC, registered at Orel Nobel-Agro JSC, which made profits from government contracts and had a revenue of 2.6 billion rubles at the end of 2021, as well as NK Nobel Oil LLC. Gurevich’s wife, Mrs. Vera Artyakova, is still listed among the founders of the company. Gurevich himself is still listed as the general director of Nobel-Invest LLC.

Thus, in the story with Rublyov, everything is not so simple. Here the trace of Gutseriev and the mediating role of the Agaevs may appear. As for Nobel Oil, money from the company can easily flow offshore and be distributed among all the above-mentioned persons. And Gutseriev – to become that very impenetrable shield, which gets away with everything. True, Gutseriev’s weight in Russia is no longer as great as before. They say that he allegedly sells his assets.