Followers of Yanukovych, Swindlers and Criminals : Who Helps Brodsky and Nasirov to Return to Big Politics

A businessman and former official, Mikhail Brodsky, has become one of the “heroes” of the recent weeks in the Ukrainian media

03 December 2018 Monday 04:13
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Followers of Yanukovych, Swindlers and Criminals : Who Helps Brodsky and Nasirov to Return to Big Politics

A businessman and former official, Mikhail Brodsky, has become one of the “heroes” of the recent weeks in the Ukrainian media. He decided to storm the political Olympus of Ukraine. But so far, the only thing he succeeded is the collection of scandals.

Recently it became known about the pre-election start of a new political party  - Brodsky’sown"Forward regions!". Political campaign tour of the party to the pig farm in Chuguev of Kharkov region has become a laughingstock. Brodsky said there so much nonsense that it was funny even to pigs. It seems to be, that in the election campaign not only funds thatmatter.

In addition, Brodsky is trying to pull in his team the well-known current politicians, for example, Dmitry Dobrodomov, trying to repair reputational damages after the scandalous publication of the decision of the Obolonsky district court of Kiev  city, which refers to the non-payment of taxes by his company for 4 billion UAH. Mikail Brodsky offered"basketball holiday"of dubious qualityto the people of Ukraine as a compensation.Brodsky even supportedKFC in the rowover the opening of the institution in the House of Trade Unions.After a barrage of criticism he was forced to remove the post. Not the best possible background for the start of the election campaign though.

But all this is trifles in comparison with the fact that among Mikhail Brodsky's partners there are very often odious persons only – accomplices of the fluent President Victor Yanukovych, the international swindlers and even representatives of the criminal world.

* * *

Brodsky has a close relationship with former first Deputy Prime Minister of the Yanukovych’s presidency Andrei Kliuev. «Brodsky put so much effort into building relations with Andrei Kliuev that he gave him a free lease on his website "Observer", proving that this is a very effective platform for PR as a reformer», - said at the time journalist Sergei Leshchenko.

In exchange of this, in 2010, Kliuev took Brodsky under his wing, appointing him as a Chairman of the State Committee on regulatory policy and entrepreneurship.

At that time Brodsky publicly admired Kliuev more than once, and journalists wrote that the official simply wants to curry favor before the influential boss. Once Brodsky told about his visit to Kliuev’s home. "After the New Year, on 3 January, he was on a visit at Andrey Petrovich Kliuev. We discussed the work of the Ministry of Economic Development on deregulation. We were long walking along the street, and then Andrey Petrovich invited me to for some tea. We went inside the house together. He started showing his house to me. We went to the gym. There was hanging a large boxing pear and and some decent training machines. Andrey Petrovich told that he do exercise in a hall and runs a cross daily", - wrote Brodsky in his blog. – «Then we went into the hall, and there was a piano. I said, "Who plays the piano?" And Andrei Petrovich sits at the grand piano and ...he started playing Mozart. I was very surprised... in a word, Kliuev shocked me».

And here it is one more occasion. «Once I and Kliuev were walking along the Khreshchatyk Street. How athletic he is, and I... I was ashamed of myself. So I should go on some kind of diet», — posted Brodsky on Facebook.

But on 2014 as Kliuev fled the country, and Brodsky was quickly dismissed from his position during the purge. The outrageous businessman went off the public attention, but he did not lose the ties with Kliuev. Sources in Parliament claim that the fugitive ex-head of Yanukovych's administration helps Brodsky to prepare for elections of 2019. It is noteworthy that the new party of Brodsky name - "Forward regions!"strikes a similaritywith the “Party of regions”, in the very founding of which at his time participated Andrei Petrovich.

* * *

After the Euromaidan Brodsky's political career ended, and his business, built on tax evading schemes, could ended at any time. The bill was in billions of Hryvnia. Brodsky urgently needed a "cover". And he found it in the person of the head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov. He was famous duringhis managing as a Head of the SFS as a well-known schemer and the recipient of a share of all sorts of frauds with taxes. Nasirov turned a blind eye to tax evasion Brodsky’s companies, and he shared with a partner. When the SFS head pinned to the wall of NABOO, accusing him of corruption, Brodsky framed the partner's shoulder – launched their media campaign whitening Nasirov. Many media in early 2018, wrote that the head of the SFS wants to buy "Observer" and "wagon Train TV".

After the Euromaidan Brodsky's political career ended, and the business, built on tax schemes, could be ended at any time. The bill was in billions of Hryvnia. Brodsky urgently needed a "cover". And he found it in the person of the Head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov. He was the Head of the SFS, who became famous as a well-known schemer and the recipient of a share of all sorts of frauds with taxes. Nasirov turned a blind eye to tax evasion companies Brodsky, and the last one in his turn shared with a partner. When the SFS Head was pinned to the wall by National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), accusing him in corruption, Brodsky framed the partner's shoulder-launched his media campaign to the whitening of Nasirov. On early 2018 many media wrote that the Head of the SFS wants to buy "Obozrevatel" and "Oboz TV".

"Money for which Nasirov wants to buy Brodsky's media was taken from kickbacks that Onishchenko paid", - posted the website NewsOne with reference to its sources. NABU believes that during 2015-2016 Nasirov acting in the interests of the People's Deputy Onishchenko, personally taking a lot of illegal decisions on the setting of the tax debt and obligations of the third party companies. These decisions were made by him in the absence of proper justification and legal grounds, which caused damage to the State in the amount of about 2 billion UAH. Part of this money settled on Nasirov's accounts.

However, the former head of the SFS did not buy Brodsky's media assets. Nasirov received temporary access to them on the netting. At the time, he helped Brodsky to get a share in the company "BRSM-Nafta". The former Minister Eduard Stavitsky, who now lives in Israel, has a direct relation to this network of Yanukovych’s gas stations. Half of the company was previously recorded on the mother-in-law of the ex-Minister Valentina Ushakova, but later all were hidden in offshore. The second half belongs to the son of former People's Deputy from Party of Regions Vasily Biba, the businessman Andrew Biba, who founded the network but then shared by the business with an influential official. Since September 2016, the Head of LLC "BRSM-Nafta" suddenly became the brother of Mikhail Brodsky – Evgeny, and the Brodsky family received a share in the business. Brodsky couldn't have pulled that trick without Nasirov. And most importantly, the story of the machinations around the "BRSM-Nafta" allowed them to establish connections with scams on an international scale, which gave not only monetary benefits but also political bonuses – in particular, access to the Republican party of the United States.

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After the Maidan, Eduard Stavitsky fled to Israel, where he obtained a citizenship. Half of the share in "BRSM-Nafta" he transferred to offshore from Belize Melian Manamegent, and on October 2014 it was announced about the entry of the "foreign investor" into the members of founders of BRSM. In particular, no one known the Dutch investment Fund Freeze Oil Fund, founded by Rol Piper, said that he purchased a significant package of the network "BRSM-Nafta" (actually, Freeze Oil and owned offshore of Belize Melian Manamegent). The deal was to help the Ukrainian company get rid of the status of the asset from the orbit of Eduard Stavitsky, who is wanted. Piper was indeed listed as the beneficiary of LLC "BRSM-Nafta", but on 2016, half of the authorized capital of the company was registered to just founding in Kiev company – LLC ", Freeze Oil Group", established as offshore from Belize Argento Invest. The Ukrainian media then traced a clear connection between Stavitsky and the management of this company, as well as other members of the «BRSM» group.

About that Stavitsky sold nothing to anybody and stays in "BRSM-Nafta" told in the interview his business partner Andrey Biba. On 2016 between the partners a conflict broke out and they shared the business in the courts. «On middle of the February 2016 was made a mutual decision to split the business in half, for this there were many reasons. When Stavitsky was the only partner, we always found understanding, and there were no disputes. When he gave his share or, let's say, acquired to partners, it became much more difficult. This is the Freeze Oil Fund, i.e. Piper and Bolotin. I think that the initiator and generator of all these ideas is Bolotin," – said Biba.

That is, Stavitsky hired a Dutchman Roland (Rol) Piper and Russian Daniel (Evgeny) Bolotin to take away a half of rights to it from Biba. Realizing that in a legitimate way, he will not be able to do this, Ex-Minister of Yanukovych’s times involved well-known swindlers.

On 2007, a scandal broke out in Russia because of the project to build light aircraft Eclipse 500 by the company ETIRC Aviation, founded by Piper together with Bolotin in Ulianovsk. The project was implemented with the money of Sviaz-Bank, which provided a loan of $ 150 million. Of course, Piper and Bolotin do not have built any planes – Eclipse Aviation bankrupted soon and the loan of "Sviaz-Bank" was not returned. For the salvation of "Sviaz-Bank" the Russian government spent 142 billion Rubles. Bolotin is also known in Russia as the author of sophisticated schemes with embezzlement of pension money.

In the status of the President of ETIRC Piper on 2009 was showed also in Ukraine, trying to promote in our country the project EclipseAviation. But further of talking the business has not gone, and after that Piper, who was hardly known in Ukraine before as a swindler, was not acquainted with acting at that period Minister of Fuel and Energy Eduard Stavitsky.

Journalists of the authoritative in Europe Dutch magazine QUOTE repeatedly exposed the illegal transactions of Piper, which caused losses to national economies of different countries. Only his debts to American investors amount to more than $ 10 million. Besides, he is suspected of frauds with investments of the population in pension funds of PGGM and ING in the USA and Europe, and also in connections with "thieves’ world". On 9 December 2015 the magazine QUOTE published an article «Piper's Property is arrested all over the world", and on 2 February 2016 the magazine QUOTE published an article «Rol Piper has 1-2 billion US Dollars to buy companies in Ukraine» with reference to the publication in the largest daily newspaper of the Netherlands DeTelegraaf called «Piper buys half of Ukraine», which is called The Freeze Oil Fund, founded to serve the business of Stavitsky.

However, office and investment of Freeze Oil Ukraine did not see, as mentioned even in the Ministry of Economic Development. At the same time, Piper entrusted the management of the Freeze Oil Fund to someone Alexander Livshits, who was seen as a person involved in corruption schemes of major functionaries of the Yanukovych’s regime, in particular of Eduard Stavitsky, and also has business connections with criminal world of Russia, namely with the criminal authority named "Recha". The question is why the Security Services of Ukraine are still not interested in the activities of Stavitsky and Piper, who, together with Bolotin, has a direct relationship to the capital connected with the FSB through the bankrupt "Sviaz-Bank".

By the way, it was Bolotin at the end of 2014, which helped Stavitsky to escape from Ukraine and illegally obtain an Israeli passport to avoid justice in Ukraine after the revolution of Dignity. At the moment they are partners in many of business projects in Russia. This is confirmed by the investigation of private Israeli detective Richard Ben Haim, published in «The Times of Israel» on 28 January 2015.

So, this company attempted to get the "BRSM-Nafta" from Andrey Biba. To restructure the property to swindlers helped a fake Power of Attorney from the Italian notary Salvatore Claudio. The latter has already written a statement to the police about this. Although according to the documents, Stavitsky with accomplices registered the company to himself but he could not get an actual control over the half of the gas stations.

And here Brodsky and Nasirov come into play. As we remember, the scandals of the network of filling stations "BRSM-Nafta" do not cease from 2015. After the fire at the oil depot in the Kiev region, the authorities gave the go-ahead to investigate the tax fraud of Stavitsky's network of gas stations. Initially, there were found violations in non-payment of taxes on 1,2 billion Hryvnias. After that, there were criminal proceedings that the network of gas stations sold diluted fuel, but the case was closed.

After fleeing Stavisky, some players that are close to the new government put eyes to the net of gas stations. In "BRSM" even said about the attempt of raider capture by Nasirov, however, the SFS has the iron argument – tax evasion.

On November 2016, the SFS of Nasirov closed gas stations and tank farms "BRSM-Nafta", accusing the company of evading about 1 billion UAH of taxes. However, soon the tax service left the company alone. According to some sources in the market, about that was writing many of the media sources, Stavitsky asked Brodsky, with whom he was familiar since the days of Yanukovych, to negotiate with Nasirov about the possibility to "close" the tax question.

Agreed quickly and with the benefit for all participants. The tax service began to drop the case against the "BRSM" on the brakes, Nasirov received a good financial reward for it, and brother of Michael Brodsky Evgeny joined the leadership of the "BRSM-Nafta" and related firms "Naftezakhid". After entering of Evgeny Brodsky to the structure of the board of the oil companies, Freeze Oil announced his own Cup in Basketball, which ended in late February of this year. The event was held in conjunction with the basketball Federation of Ukraine, where Mikhail Brodsky is an honorary President.

However, the idyll for the participants of the scam did not last long. On March 2017, the Head of the SFS was detained in the capital hospital Feofania during a search in the framework of the investigation of the Onishchenko gas case. On 7 March 2017, the Solomensky district court of Kiev placed Nasirov in custody during the preliminary investigation. On 16 March the wife of the official has made for him 100 million Hryvnia pawn. According to our data, part of this amount was given by Stavitsky and Brodsky. It is understandable – without Nasirov at the Head of SFS, they both could get huge problems. In principle, so it also becomes. Nasirov, though released but was removed from the leadership of the SFS. Later, the tax service in the managing by Miroslav Prodan declared that "BRSM-Nafta" owed to the State amount of 2 billion UAH of taxes, and to Brodsky court will charge a tax debt of almost 4 billion UAH.

* * *

After the "fall" of Nasirov, Brodsky decided that the best way to protect the stolen goods and not to go to jail is to go into politics. Brodsky began to prepare for parliamentary and local elections, and Nasirov swung for the presidency. It is clear that neither the Parliament nor the presidency do not be in the cards for them, but during the election campaign there can be bonus to "settle" to the favorites in the future to count if not on the state positions, then at least on immunity from prosecution. Brodsky and Nasirov have one serious argument that they can flaunt in the negotiations.

On February 2017, even before the adventures in Feofania, Nasirov visited the inauguration of Donald Trump, which caused a violent resonance in society. Like, why would a Ukrainian official pay 250 thousand US Dollars for the opportunity to get to Trump, and from where he has such sum of money. The Minister of Finance Alexander Daniluk even appealed to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and NABU to analyze the trip of the Head of the SFS to the United States. Nasirov justified that he visited the inauguration at the invitation of friends, and at this time was on vacation.

More details were revealed then by the people's Deputy from "Radical Party" Andrey Artemenko, who later was deprived of the Ukrainian citizenship. "I saw Nasirov. I know how he got here. He was invited by my friend from Florida, who was engaged in the fact that he headed Trump's headquarters in Florida in collecting money, and in procedures of his inauguration and during the election campaign. I know that he invited him and gave him tickets", - told the People’s Deputy Artemenko, stressed that he also came to Washington at the invitation of his friend Congressman Dane Rorabaker.

In the words of Nasirov and Artemenko only a fraction of the truth. According to our data, a mysterious friend of Artemenko, who helped Nasirov to get to the inauguration – lobbyist Yuri Vanetik, and this service was not free.

Vanetik is a native of Kiev and moved to the States in the 1990s. There now also lives his father, better known as Tony Vanetik. This man has been collecting funds in a Common Fund the Republicans. In the 1990s, Vanetik Sr. was one of the members of the organized criminal group, which "controlled" Podol in Kiev city. After that, he was tried several times for fraud in the United States.

Vanetik Jr. is listed as the managing partner of the family company VanetikInt, and also as a co-founder and Managing Director of Dominion Partners, Pemgroup and Medowood Management. He specializes in financial consulting. Also he has connections to the most senior officials in the USA. Here he is pictured with the aforementioned Yuri Artemenko Congressman Dane Rorabaker. Vanetik and Rorabaker are friends.

It is interesting that Vanetik registered as a lobbyist only in the autumn of 2017, although the investigation of McClatchy Agency says that he was engaged in these services for a long time. So, in addition to the story with Nasirov, at spring of 2017 Vanetik led the Congress of the disgraced "radical" Sergei Rybalka, and at the autumn of 2017, he signed a lobbying contract with the Agrarian Party of Ukraine. Vanetik is well acquainted with Paul Manafort, who is now in prison – together they helped Ukrainian politicians to establish connections in Washington. And on 2016, Vanetik collected money for Trump's Presidential Campaign.

In addition to the official biography of Yuri Vanetik, there is a secret part of it, shown in the investigation of Agency McClatchy. It says that against Yuri Vanetik and his father, the US has put forward a number of charges for various articles: of fraud, of murder attempted etc. Became known that Vanetiks work closely with the criminal world of Russia. The USA investigation established their relationship with Sergei Lipatov, a former official of the State Russian Railway, arrested in Russia on charges of embezzlement of Bank funds.

The companies that worked with Vanetiks, do not recommend doing this, because they are too often "cheating". For example, on March 2011, Vanetik and his partners convinced Farmers & Merchants Trust Company (California) to invest $ 750,000 to the Company Terra, allegedly having oil and gas reserves in Russia. The Company was listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange. On November 2011, Terra's shares ceased to be listed on the stock exchange, and Farmers & Merchants Trust Company lost all 750 thousand Dollars.

In November 2013 Farmers & Merchants Trust Company filed a lawsuit against Vanetik and his partners to the court, putting forward allegations of fraud, breach of trust, unjust enrichment, violation of California securities law, etc. Vanetik and his partners were charged with the implementation of the scheme, known as pumpanddump (pump and drain). That is, they are artificially made so that the shares of Terra began to look attractive and, once Farmers & Merchants Trust Company invested the funds, shares were sold.

The proceeds of the fraudulent scheme were used, according to the prosecution, to pay for personal expenses and personal debts, including credit cards, as well as to pay lawyers. Farmers & Merchants Trust Company knew nothing about this use of funds when making an investment in 2011. They thought they were investing in buying Terra shares.

The case is now at the appeal stage. The court of the first instance Vanetik lost. At the same time, he refuses to pay. Interestingly that one of the main arguments of the appeal is that Vanetik is too poor and cannot pay $ 2 million of fine. He estimated all his property in 400 thousand Dollars. (Saying that he renting an apartment, sold the watch, and the “Bentley” not his).

You'd think he was a very poor man. However, there are talking about excessive greed. On 25 August 2017 AMEX (American Express) filed on Vanetik a claim for refund of $110 thousand spent on credit card as of 16 June 2017. That is, the lobbyist and the head of a lot of companies cannot repay debts on a credit card? In any case, this should be a signal to anyone who is dealing with a Vanetik or is considering such a possibility.

Nasirov and Brodsky cooperate with Vanetik and want to make these connections in the USA as their trump card during election campaigns, which is a very unreliable plan, taking into account the impressive list of lawsuits against this businessman. In addition, Vanetik still has some connection with the Ukrainian criminal world that might seem useful for the former officials, especially when their business will be very bad. And this is a very real scenario, given how Nasirov and Brodsky became rich, and who helps them to avoid responsibility and to return in big politics.

Updated: 03.12.2018 05:05