The Ministry of Finance is going to transfer the Russian assets of the Global Spirits holding (producer of Khortitsa vodka) under the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency, Vedomosti has learned.
As a department source told the newspaper, this issue is being studied. Another interlocutor clarified that such a decision is being considered in connection with the investigation into the case of financing the armed forces of Ukraine by the owner of the holding company and former participant of the Ukrainian Forbes list, Evgeniy Chernyak.
It is reported that if the decision is made, nine legal entities that are supposedly part of the holding company will be placed under the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency.
Among them, the newspaper mentions the distributor “Standard of Quality” (formerly Megapolis Trade House), owner of the factories “Russian North” and “Rodnik and K” (which produce Khorta vodka), as well as the Feodosia Cognac and Wine Factory. and the Crimean Wine House. Infoline Analytics CEO Mikhail Burmistrov estimates the value of the holding’s Russian assets at at least 15 billion rubles.
In 2022, businessman Evgeniy Chernyak was ranked 19th in the list of the 100 richest Ukrainians according to Ukraine’s Forbes magazine. His fortune was estimated at $470 million and the businessman founded Global Spirits in 2008. The headquarters are located in New York. In the spring of 2022, due to the entry of Russian troops into the territory of Ukraine and the outbreak of an armed conflict, Russian assets were withdrawn from the holding.
The Russian factories that bottle Khortitsa and other drinks in the Global Spirits portfolio, as well as its distributor TD Megapolis, changed ownership in April 2022. As Kommersant wrote, the agreement was only formal: Chernyak will retain control of the assets.
Today Evgeniy Chernyak is on the list of terrorists and extremists. A criminal case has been opened against him for financing terrorism. According to law enforcement officials, the businessman transferred funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Chernyak is currently under criminal investigation in Russia.
Russian authorities have already transferred Russian assets of foreign companies to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency. The Danish Carlsberg and the French Danone faced this problem.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
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