The well-known IT expert Sergey Alexandrovich Shilov is a controversial figure in Russia. He is facing criminal charges and a high-profile scandal related to fraud in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
What do we know about the businessman and his numerous businesses, which generate billions and millions? How did he attempt to profit illegally from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' state order through his company AT Consulting?
S.A. Shilov, 44, hails from Salavat in Bashkortostan. He studied at the Mechanics and Mathematics Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University and took entrepreneurship courses at Harvard Business School. He is married, has five children, and is a defendant in a criminal case related to abuse of power.
Twenty-one years ago, he founded AT Consulting and became its CEO. Six years ago, L. Vasadze's investment fund Prometheus Capital acquired 95% of the company, but a year later Shilov managed to regain control and became the managing partner. In 2017, he also assumed the presidency of the Digital Economy League.
What is known about Shilov's highly profitable and asset-heavy companies?
The list of companies is extensive, but we will only highlight a few.
– Joint-stock company “The Aichi Group”
A company with a minimum fund of 10,000 rubles. Shilov is the general director, and the revenue for 2021 was 6.9 million rubles, reflecting a 68% increase from the previous year.
The company's profit increased by 21% last year to 921 million rubles. Total assets decreased by almost 8% to 449 million rubles, with net assets slightly below a million.
The aforementioned JSC is the founder of the sizable LLC “Ati Consulting” with a fund of only 10,000 rubles. It employs 1213 people, and its revenue grew by 18% to 5.1 billion rubles.
The profit last year was 85.3 million, a decrease of almost 88% from the previous year. Total assets are 2.3 billion rubles, and net assets are 1.1 billion rubles.
Public procurement: the company is the supplier for 401 government contracts totaling over 18.6 billion rubles.
Regarding legal cases, data the information source Rusprofile lists AT Consulting LLC in 44 cases totaling 507 million rubles. There are also 24 disputes related to contractual legal relations.
Another major company founded by AT Group JSC is LLC “Philosophy.IT” with a fund of 10,000 rubles. It employs 2004 people, and its revenue grew by 46% to 8.6 billion rubles.
The profit increased by 64% to 1.4 billion, and total assets grew by almost 18% to 3.6 billion rubles, with net assets at 2.1 billion rubles.
– Association of IT Market Participants “Digital Economy League”
Shilov serves as the president of a non-profit organization, meaning its main goal is not earnings. However, in 2021, the organization received revenue totaling 2.5 million rubles.
The profit for 2021 was 2 million rubles. The organization's total assets increased by almost 63% to 3.9 million rubles for the year. The company’s net assets are 3.6 million rubles.
LLC “Digital Academy of Talents” with a registered capital of 100 thousand rubles, co-founded by Shilov. The company, with only two individuals, is less than a year old and is currently being liquidated. Despite this, it generated revenue of 4.9 million rubles last year.
The profit for 2021 amounted to 3.5 million rubles. Total assets were 4.5 million, with net assets at 3.6 million.
The list of enterprises associated with the controversial businessman that generate significant profits and have large assets could continue indefinitely. These enterprises handle billions and millions.
Controversies and legal disputes
Sergei Alexandrovich Shilov was involved in a high-profile scandal in 2018 when he was arrested for a crime that had actually occurred earlier. The Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation accused him of complicity in the abuse of official powers under Article 33 and Part 3 of Article 285 of the Criminal Code of Russia. Interestingly, a year later, the Investigative Committee halted the prosecution of the businessman due to the lack of evidence of a crime. It seems he had managed to establish a relationship with law enforcement officers.
Pretty convenient, right? Admit, repent, and you’re free….
So, what happened next?
FSB officers apprehended S.A. Shilov, the brain behind the project for implementing the ISOD (intelligent system for ensuring activities) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The entrepreneur was charged with inciting abuse of office, as he had played a part in the crime. Shilov convinced A. Nechaev, a key figure in the criminal case and the customer of this system at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to make payments amounting to 1.4 billion rubles for work in progress. Interestingly, it was discovered that Nechaev had previously worked for Shilov at AT Consulting. Coincidence? Seems unlikely.
Initially, S.A. Shilov had no involvement in the procurement of the ISOD for law enforcement officers. The state contract was meant for the specialized NIIAA Academician Semenikhin. However, they simply passed on the complex project to Shilov’s company “Ati Consulting”and remained only as an intermediary.
Nechaev himself was arrested in 2017, and Shilov the following year. Sergei Aleksandrovich admitted his guilt, supposedly repented, and even reportedly began to make amends for the billions in damage caused to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Consequently, in the spring of 2019, the Investigative Committee decided to drop the criminal charges against Shilov due to lack of evidence of a crime. It seems S.A. Shilov is a cunning fraudster who manages to escape consequences.
To be continued.
