The Prosecutor General’s Office sues the richest businessman in Russia, Melnichenko

As follows from the documents of the Sverdlovsk District Court of Krasnoyarsk, the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, without indicating his last name, acts as the plaintiff. The defendants are Andrey Melnichenko himself, Khakass Service and Repair Company and Kuzbass Joint Stock Company for Energy and Electrification (“Kuzbassenergo”).

As a third party, the claimant seeks the participation of JSC Siberian Energy Company (SGK), a subsidiary of Melnichenko’s Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK).

In an interview with Vedomosti, a representative of the businessman confirmed that the lawsuit was received and now “lawyers are working with him.” A source familiar with the content of the claims told RBC that the General Prosecutor’s Office’s lawsuit concerns energy assets that the department says were purchased from the structures of former Open Government Affairs Minister Mikhail Abyzov.

The Telegram channel SovetBezRynka published possible scans of the claim statement. According to the materials, the Prosecutor General’s Office, while investigating the case of “Mikhail Abyzov’s accomplices”, received information about the violation of anti-corruption legislation by Melnichenko and legal entities controlled by him “when conducting transactions to acquire shares of SIBEKO”.

The documents say that on February 7, 2018, a contract for the sale of securities was concluded between Melnichenko and Abyzov in Cyprus. The deal amounted to 32.51 billion rubles. According to the department, the agreement has indications of “taking advantage of dishonest behavior”, so the Attorney General’s Office demands the transfer of Sibeko to the state.

Andrey Melnichenko, co-founder of Eurochem and SUEK, currently ranks first in the Forbes ranking of the richest businessmen in Russia. The publication estimates the businessman’s fortune at 25.2 billion dollars.

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