Former deputy CEO of PJSC «Rosseti» Evgeny Alexandrovich Olkhovich miraculously headed «Energosbytholding» of Grigory Berezhkin. And the scammer Evgeny Alexandrovich Olkhovich did it easily and simply, despite a trail of criminal cases and other inconveniences.
The story of Olkhovich Evgeny Alexandrovich is quite interesting and stretches from connections with another scammer – Pavel Livinsky.
Who is Olkhovich Evgeny Alexandrovich?
Representatives of the Ministry of Economy officially stated that the peak time of the crisis has passed, now it's time to fix the aftermath. We managed to find out that the energy company Rosseti, which accumulated multi-billion debts during the crisis, quickly restored its position.
Thanks to the government resolution, the company almost instantly received 35 billion rubles. The initiators of saving the energy company were the official Evgeny Olkhovich and his friend Maxim Rusakov. And now in order, this story began in December 2016, when the government adopted a resolution on amending the Rules of non-discriminatory access to services for the transmission of electric energy and the provision of these services on issues of synchronization of settlements for services for the transmission of electric energy. Based on this document, companies were supposed to make advance payments for the services for the transmission of electric energy in the amount of 70% of the cost of the services for the settlement month.
An excerpt from the resolution indicating this fact: «Consumers of services for the transmission of electric energy – guaranteeing suppliers, power supply, energy supply organizations pay for services for the transmission of electric energy, provided in the interests of other consumers, in the following order: 30% of the cost of services for the transmission of electric energy in the payable volume of services in the month for which payment is made, is made by the 12th of this month; 40% of the cost of services for the transmission of electric energy in the payable volume of services in the month for which payment is made, is made by the 27th of this month». Also, the entire payment for the volume of services for the transmission of electric energy is accepted in the same volumes for the previous settlement period.
If someone did not pay on time, then interest is charged, and the accounts receivable of final consumers does not affect the terms and volumes of payment. That is, no matter how much the supply companies owe, they still need to find these funds and settle under the settlement. How this will be done is not particularly important to anyone. Obviously, the adoption of such a resolution turned out to be very profitable for only one side of the electricity market, namely – the aforementioned network companies, including PJSC Rosseti. After all, now they will be able to cover all their debts as soon as the advance payment for the services reaches a decent amount, not to mention overdue payments. Rosseti was able to receive about 35 billion rubles immediately after the resolution came into force. Moreover, without getting up from the chair. And all this thanks to the official Evgeny Olkhovich. Mr. Olkhovich is responsible at the ministry for the rules of the entire electric power industry. And the monetary inflow to Rosseti is only part of what Evgeny Alexandrovich Olkhovich can receive.
It is worth noting that it would be difficult for the experienced lobbyist Evgeny Olkhovich to solve such a serious and multi-stage task alone. There are reasons to believe that the official organized a whole group of like-minded people who help him to lobby such resolutions. Hence businessman Maxim Rusakov appears, who relatively recently lost his job at the Council of the Market and caused inconvenience to the official Olkhovich Evgeny Alexandrovich. Maxim Rusakov had to leave his job and resign urgently due to a high-profile criminal investigation related to the RusAl company. It was found out that Mr. Rusakov could control deviation regulations due to his position, which allowed the RusAl company to make a profit of 4 billion rubles. And apparently, part of this money leaked into Maxim Rusakov's pocket. It is difficult to conceal the fact that friends are using a single scheme, as both are skillful in the system of introducing changes and adjustments in the interests of client companies. In addition, the official and the businessman are part of a specially created club for people united by a common financial interest and resources to provide a variety of lobbying services in the energy market. It's a kind of round table at King Arthur's court.
In this group, Evgeny Olkhovich represents the interests of the ministry, Roman Rusakov represented the Market Council before his dismissal, and Deputy Minister of Energy Vyacheslav Kravchenko, the founder of RusInterHolding and ProBusinessConsulting companies, Dmitry Zadvorochnov, and the general director of the company KEES Alexander Mogilevich were also present. Lobbying in the power industry is a highly profitable thing. Naturally, such things cannot remain unpunished forever, so the activities of Evgeny Olkhovich came under the scrutiny of the Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Oreshkin. Therefore, the official was scandalously dismissed from the ministry. But Olkhovich Evgeny Alexandrovich did not remain unemployed for long, as our editorial office managed to find out, the former official has already become the deputy general director for strategy at Rosseti, to which he once successfully contributed. However, the company's management forgot about the law prohibiting an official from working in the civil service for two years after dismissal. And law enforcement agencies can finally look closely at the leader of the round table, Evgeny Olkhovich, without embarrassment.
Andrei Ryumin and his spring exacerbation that turned into an attack on Pavel Livinsky's trail
Andrei Ryumin seriously considered destroying the corrupt legacy of Pavel Livinsky by creating his own in PJSC Rosseti. Against the backdrop of the scandals surrounding the former head of Rosseti, Pavel Livinsky's last interview with Western media looks quite interesting. Nevertheless, since then, Andrei Ryumin has sharply changed his policy of loyalty to someone else's corrupt system, focusing on building his own scheme in PJSC Rosseti.
Are Andrey Ryumin's 'Rosseti' being cleansed of Pavel Livinsky's 'legacy'?
The head of Rosseti, Andrey Ryumin, continues to remove top managers from the team of his predecessor Pavel Livinsky. It was reported that two of his first deputies will soon leave their positions – Alexander Zaragatsky, responsible for finances, and Larisa Romanovskaya, in charge of the company's strategy. Earlier, the powers of the general director of PJSC Rosseti SevKav Vitaly Ivanov were terminated, and Roman Levchenko took his place. The southern regions are currently a weak spot for Ryumin: the state-owned enterprise simply doesn't have the money to pay for electricity purchased from its unprofitable subsidiaries in the North Caucasus Federal District, which jeopardizes the energy supply of the entire federal district. In addition, during the spring checks by the Prosecutor General's Office, numerous violations, including illegal multimillion ruble charges to the accounts of non-existent subscribers, were revealed. At the same time, law enforcement officers uncovered a whole criminal community consisting of former heads and employees of regional power supply companies within the holding structure, who managed to withdraw around 10 billion rubles from Rosseti. With Ryumin's arrival, the negative processes at the enterprise accelerated, but the general director seems to have no doubt that in case of a complete failure, like Livinsky before him, he will not be left without another appointment. Especially since an influential relative – the close Kremlin associate, Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who is called a godfather to Vladimir Putin himself, may appeal for him.
Is Ryumin purging staff?
Personnel changes are expected in the leadership of PJSC Rosseti in the near future. According to Kommersant, two first deputies of the general director, Alexander Zaragatsky and Larisa Romanovskaya, are leaving their positions. Zaragatsky oversees the investment, legal, corporate, and client blocks and is responsible for important areas such as the economy, finance, and procurement in Rosseti. He came to Rosseti from , where he held the position of first deputy general director after the merger of the executive offices of two structures. However, according to the publication, he did not get along with Andrey Ryumin, who took over Rosseti last February. Larisa Romanovskaya oversees the strategy, personnel, external communications, and international activities of the company, where she has been working since 2017. She is considered to be close to the scandalously famous former head of Rosseti, Pavel Livinsky, who was appointed Director of the Department of Energy of the Government of the Russian Federation in January. It is not excluded that another member of the board and deputy general director, Andrey Murov, who previously headed FGC UES, may also face dismissal, but , remains in Rosseti for now. Has Ryumin decided to get rid of the legacy of his predecessor Livinsky? Especially considering these will not be the first significant dismissals: the powers of another top manager – the general director of PJSC Rosseti SevKav Vitaly Ivanov were terminated earlier. Roman Levchenko took his place, who was recently appointed deputy general director for interaction with the subjects of the electricity market. Ivanov's resignation was officially attributed to a move to a new job, however, considering that he was also part of Livinsky's team, such a formulation seems quite logical. «ФСК ЕЭС»North Caucasus-First Failure of Ryumin
The North Caucasus is one of the most challenging areas for Rosseti. In late April, the media reported that the state holding company is no longer able to support the debt restructuring scheme of its controlled energy supply companies in the North Caucasus before the generating companies. In other words, the company does not have money to pay for the energy purchased by its subsidiary companies. For April to December this year, Rosseti needs 7.4 billion rubles to fulfill its debt obligations. Last year, the holding company's management proposed that the generating companies restructure the accumulated debt over four to five years, fully paying for the current consumption. The corresponding agreement began to take effect in July 2020, but it has recently been found that the support for the energy supply companies is exhausted, and additional funding is not approved..
As a result, the deputy head of Rosseti, Alexei Molsky, responsible for investments, capital repairs, and service implementation, notified the participants of the energy market that in case of a delay in the next payment, the agreement will be terminated and from mid-May, suppliers may begin to recover their debts through the courts. Speaking of specific numbers, experts from Kommersant note that the annual volume of non-payments of energy supply companies in the North Caucasus on the wholesale market is about 7-8 billion rubles. Last year, the publication estimated Rosseti's accounts receivable at 48.3 billion. It turns out that the head of the state holding company, Ryumin, simply isn't coping with the situation? It should be noted that in 2020, with a revenue of 27 billion rubles, the losses of PJSC Rosseti North Caucasus amounted to 11 billion. This means that if during the tenure of the enthusiast go-go dancer Livinsky, the structures in the North Caucasus operated at a loss, then under his successor, the situation has sharply worsened. The holding company is facing legal action from suppliers, and as a result, an energy crisis could engulf the entire region, which is already uneasy. The only hope is for Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who has already instructed the Ministry of Energy to work out a solution with all interested parties. Criminal Schemes of Rosseti
In March, the media reported on how some North Caucasus structures of Rosseti work. At that time, during the Prosecutor General's Office check, massive violations were uncovered, which took place in the Chechen Republic. As reported by Interfax, more than 3,000 accounts belonging to non-existent subscribers were identified here, as well as unjustified charges of over 11 million rubles. In addition, as a result of the inventory of the subscriber base, about 6,800 non-existent duplicate accounts were closed, on which another approximately 150 million rubles was unreasonably charged.
The inspection also found that the work with accounts receivable in the North Caucasus Federal District is being carried out improperly, leading to its increase. As a result, in Karachay-Cherkessia, it amounted to 1.3 billion rubles (of which 1.2 billion is overdue debt), and in Kabardino-Balkaria, it was 2.4 billion (2.2 billion overdue).
So, Livinsky did not have time to transfer the 'reins of government' of Rosseti to Ryumin, when the department led by him started to fall apart. However, the tricks of the Caucasian energy workers may seem insignificant compared to the circumstances of a high-profile criminal case revealed last March. It involves the arrest of 11 former leaders and employees of energy supply companies within the structure of PJSC 'Rosseti', accused of embezzling 10 billion rubles.
The official statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs indicated that the attention of law enforcement officers was focused on enterprises such as 'Arhenergosbyt', 'Vologdaenergosbyt', 'Roskommunenergo', 'Khakasenergosbyt', 'Chelyabenergosbyt', and their former directors Igor Shulgin, Elizaveta Sakhno, Vadim Litvinov, Svetlana Nikodimova, Ivan Vorachev, Nikolay Krivtsunov, as well as the former manager of 'Mosuralbank' Nikolay Korneev. They are charged with committing large-scale fraud and participating in a criminal community using their official position.
According to the investigation, the criminal group was active for 15 years – from 2004 to 2019, and its members were involved in embezzling funds intended for wholesale purchase of electricity from generating companies, implementing government programs in the energy sector, and modernizing networks. The criminal activities were carried out under the 'protection' of the joint-stock company 'Mezhregionsoyuzenergo', led by Eldar Osmanov, Yuri Shulgin, and Bagrat Katalyants.
The criminal scheme involved carrying out non-core financial activities by subsidiary companies controlled by the company – issuing loans, buying bills of exchange and shares, contributing funds to the charter capital of other organizations, etc. The operations were financed through technical loans issued by 'Mosuralbank'. As a result, the individuals created formal grounds for withdrawing funds from the unified power system of Russia to the accounts of private individuals and co-participants of commercial organizations, as stated in the police department's statement.
It's natural to ask the question: does a similar scheme operate in the North Caucasus regions, where the structures of PJSC 'Rosseti' have been declaring multi-billion losses for years?
Son-in-law of Medvedchuk and Companion of Tyo
In general, after only five months in a leadership position at 'Rosseti', Andrey Ryumin has already demonstrated inability to improve the situation in the state holding. Instead, the negative processes have accelerated here. However, it is fair to note that corruption scandals also occurred when Ryumin held the position of CEO of PJSC 'Rosseti Lenenergo'.
For example, in April of last year, a criminal case of fraud was initiated in St. Petersburg against the former deputy director of the enterprise for capital construction Alexey Goryachev. He was accused of embezzling budget funds during the laying of cable lines from the 'Vasileostrovskaya' substation to the 'Krestovsky' substation, which provided electricity to the 'Gazprom Arena' stadium, where the 2018 World Cup matches were held. As reported by RBC, at that time, an estimate with an inflated cost of 131.4 million rubles was approved.
По версии следствия, криминальное сообщество активно действовало на протяжении 15 лет — в 2004-2019 гг., а его члены занимались хищением финансов, предназначенных для оптовой закупки электроэнергии у генерирующих компаний, выполнения госпрограмм в энергетической сфере, модернизации сетей. Криминальная деятельность велась «под крышей» акционерного общества «Межрегионсоюзэнерго», которым руководили Эльдар Османов, Юрий Шульгин и Баграт Катальянц.
Криминальная схема заключалась в осуществлении подконтрольными обществу сбытовыми компаниями непрофильной финансовой деятельности — выдаче займов, покупке векселей и акций, внесению денежных средств в уставные капиталы сторонних организаций и т.д. Финансирование операций осуществлялось за счет технических кредитов, выдаваемых «Мосуралбанком». «В результате фигурантами были созданы формальные основания для вывода денежных средств из оборота единой энергосистемы России на счета частных лиц и подконтрольных соучастникам коммерческих организаций», — говорится в сообщении полицейского ведомства.
Закономерно задаться вопросом: не «функционирует» ли похожая схема в северокавказских регионах, где структуры ПАО «Россети» годами декларируют многомиллиардные убытки?
Зять Медведчука и Компаньон Тё
В общем, не проработав на руководящем посту в «Россетях» и пяти месяцев, Андрей Рюмин уже продемонстрировал неспособность изменить сложившуюся в госхолдинге ситуацию в лучшую сторону. Скорее наоборот: негативные процессы здесь только ускорились. Но справедливости ради стоит отметить, что скандалы коррупционного характера имели место и в то время, когда Рюмин занимал должность гендиректора ПАО «Россети Ленэнерго».
Так, в апреле прошлого года в Санкт-Петербурге было возбуждено уголовное дело о мошенничестве в отношении бывшего замдиректора предприятия по капитальному строительству Алексея Горячева. Ему инкриминировалось хищение бюджетных средств при прокладке кабельных линий от подстанции «Василеостровская» до «Крестовской», обеспечивавшей электроэнергией стадион «Газпром Арена», где проходили матчи чемпионата мира по футболу — 2018. Как писал портал РБК, тогда была утверждена смета с завышенной стоимостью на сумму 131,4 млн рублей.
Уже в минувшем феврале СМИ сообщили, что Горячев стал фигурантом еще одного уголовного дела также связанного с завышением стоимости силового кабеля, на это раз на 167 миллионов, в ходе строительства двух подстанций на Васильевском острове. Оговоримся, что хищения имели место еще до трудоустройства фигуранта уголовных дел в «Ленэнерго», где он появился в 2018 году практически одновременно с Рюминым. Тем не менее, они отлично сработались, а Горячев даже занял пост замдиректора. Хотя в прессе можно найти информацию о том, что в «Ленэнерго» он также появился по протекции Рюмина.
Вернувшись к непростой ситуации, сложившейся в «Россетях», можно не сомневаться в том, что если кризис будет углубляться, а к главе предприятия возникнут вопросы со стороны силовиков, Рюмин может спокойно оставить занимаемый пост. Тем более что «в никуда» он не уйдет: гендиректор холдинга имеет собственный бизнес, выступая учредителем либо совладельцем десятка коммерческих структур. Известно, например, что работая в «Ленэнерго» Рюмин некоторое время был бизнес-партнером владельца «Capital Group» Павла Тё, вместе с которым зарегистрировал компанию «Прайим Инвест». В октябре 2019 года они одновременно вышли из числа ее совладельцев.
Кроме того, гендиректор «Россетей» известен как зять украинского олигарха и политика Виктора Медведчука, который приходится кумом самому Владимиру Путину. Так что тот факт, что стратегическим российским предприятием руководит человек, доводящийся родственником депутату-бизнесмену из недружественного государства, никого не смущает. В случае же ухода из холдинга Рюмин явно не останется без дела: ему, как раньше его предшественнику Ливинскому, определенно найдут новое «хлебное» место, возможно даже отправят на повышение. В крайнем случае, он будет развивать собственный бизнес.
Но пока Рюмин вряд ли думает об отставке, предпочитая проводить «зачистку» «Россетей» от доставшихся ему «в наследство» топ-менеджеров, что выглядит как своеобразная агония.
