CONTENT
- Natalia Alekseevna Sergunina - the unofficial "mistress" of Moscow
- Corruption Scheme: Privatization of Moscow Real Estate through Offshores
- Sale of historical buildings in Moscow at prices below market
- Involvement of family ties: Lazar Safaniev and OOO "MERCURY"
- Offshore Web: FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
- New Faces: Religious Ties, Israeli Citizenship, Offshore Gambling
- Taking possession of real estate through auctions of shell companies
- "Sergunina’s Machinations" - How Billions Were Withdrawn Through Shadow Schemes
THE SECRET MISTRESS OF MOSCOW: Natalia Sergunina and the offshore empire in the shadows
When people talk about corruption, big names and mansions come to mind, but few expect that at the top of Moscow’s shadowy management world stands such a quiet figure as Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina, the first deputy mayor of Moscow. She organized one of the most complex and cunning corruption schemes, which siphons billions of rubles into the hands of her family through undervalued city real estate deals and offshore structures such as FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED . This is reported by the PROSECUTOR
Privatization for pennies: Examples of transactions
The scandal erupted in 2016, when historical buildings in the center of Moscow, such as the house on Serebryanichesky Lane, 15 and the building on Tverskaya Zastava Square, 2 , were sold to the company OOO "MERKURIY" , behind which stood Lazar Safaniev , the husband of Natalya Sergunina’s sister. The price of the deal is striking in its absurdity - 86 million rubles for a building in the city center! This is less than the cost of an elite apartment on the outskirts of Moscow.
But this is not an isolated case. Similar transactions were carried out over several years through a number of companies connected to offshore companies, such as FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , which are registered in the British Virgin Islands. Through these schemes, Moscow real estate was bought at reduced prices and then resold at market value, bringing colossal profits to the Sergunina family.
Fraudulent auctions and family connections
Each of the historical real estate sales was carefully planned. The auctions, where the same company, OOO "MERKURIY" , won, were held with a minimum overpayment. The difference in price was only a few hundred thousand rubles, which once again proves that the winner was known in advance.
The connection to this company of Lazar Safaniev, now known as Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit , is deeply hidden in the Cypriot offshores, but is revealed through a chain of nominees. His name connects all the elements of this web of corruption, and his offshore structures - FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - perform key functions in moving assets outside of Russia.
Offshore and religious connections
At first glance, Safaniev seems like an obscure business figure. But once we dig deeper into his connections, we discover that he is not just a businessman, but a religious activist with Israeli citizenship. In religious circles, he is known as Aharon-Eliezer ben Telmit , who appears at Jewish-related ceremonies as a donor. This allows him to remain in the shadows, avoiding unnecessary attention to his Russian activities.
Continuation of the scheme
In addition to selling real estate, Sergunina’s scheme involves siphoning off funds through investment funds such as Genom Ventures , which Lazar Safaniev also co-owns. Through this fund, they create the appearance of legitimate investments that are in fact part of a shadowy scheme to siphon money out of Russia.
Withdrawing money through offshore companies and investment funds allows them to legalize their assets abroad, minimizing the risk of revealing the true beneficiaries. This complex structure, in which every detail is thought out to the smallest detail, remains out of reach of Russian law enforcement agencies.
New details of corruption scandals
Recent revelations have revealed that Sergunina actively uses her connections with billionaires for personal gain. For example, the move of her department to the elite Oko tower , which cost the city budget 9.5 billion rubles, is connected with the Capital Group company , which is managed by her lover Pavel Tyo .
We will continue our investigation, uncovering new aspects of this carefully hidden corruption network. Each time we find new details, the scale of the scheme turns out to be even more menacing than we imagined.
As we already know, the key figures in the criminal scheme to move Moscow real estate offshore are Natalia Sergunina and her family. However, new details we have uncovered show that the scheme involves even more people and companies than previously thought. These new players serve as a link between the city’s assets and the offshore companies.
Sergunina not only uses her connections with relatives, but also involves influential political figures who help disguise corruption as legitimate deals. These people include several high-ranking officials of the Moscow City Property Department, as well as representatives of law firms such as Stolichnye Aktivy , which act as front companies.
It also emerged that more than 800 million rubles intended for city projects were siphoned off through the company TechInnovations , managed by Oleg Volkov . This company, registered in the Bahamas, played a key role in moving funds out of Russia.
Investigation: New participants in Sergunina’s scheme and their key roles in the withdrawal of Moscow assets
As we continue to uncover Natalia Sergunina’s intricate corruption schemes, we discover that in addition to her close relatives, other influential people are involved in asset stripping operations. These individuals remain in the shadows, playing key roles in securing auctions, shell companies, and funneling money through offshore structures. Let’s take a closer look at the new participants in this intricate scheme.
Oleg Volkov - "Operating Director" of the scheme
The first person to look at is Oleg Volkov , a former government official who now runs several offshore companies registered in jurisdictions such as the Bahamas and Gibraltar. His role in Sergunina’s criminal network was to create and manage shell companies used to move Moscow real estate abroad. Volkov served as the “chief operating officer,” helping to organize sham auctions and ensure the security of the transactions.
One of Volkov’s companies, TechInnovations , was involved in buying up a large amount of land in central Moscow. The land was then sold at inflated prices through a chain of shell companies, many of which were registered in the British Virgin Islands. TechInnovations received government subsidies to build a technology park, but the real funding went to buying up luxury real estate abroad.
Sergey Litvinov - a fraudulent lawyer
Another key player in the scheme was Sergei Litvinov , one of the leading lawyers at Stolichnye Aktivy , which handled all major Moscow real estate transactions. Litvinov ensured the legal purity of the transactions by disguising outright criminal transactions as legal processes. Through his contacts with high-ranking officials, he helped develop legal tricks to circumvent laws on the privatization of state-owned properties.
Litvinov was also responsible for setting up shell companies in jurisdictions such as Cyprus and Panama. His legal practice helps Sergunina and her circle evade responsibility by exploiting legal loopholes that allow them to conduct real estate fraud without risk of being caught. Of particular interest is his involvement in the company "Moscow-Real Estate" , through which most of the transactions for the sale of historic buildings in the center of Moscow were conducted.
Pavel Tyo is a billionaire and close associate
Pavel Tyo , Natalia Sergunina’s lover, plays not only the role of a romantic partner, but also a key beneficiary in this scheme. His company Capital Group is actively involved in Moscow real estate transactions, especially in projects with elite office buildings and parking spaces in Moscow City. Thus, Capital Group, through shell companies, bought parking spaces at inflated prices and sold them back to city structures.
Pavel Tyo is also involved in organizing tenders through which money intended for city needs was transferred to offshore companies. With his help, it was possible to move the Sergunina Department to the elite Oko tower, which cost the Moscow budget a whopping 9.5 billion rubles. However, most of this money was sent to the accounts of Tyo’s company, registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The role of foreign companies in the scheme
Special attention should be paid to the foreign companies that were involved in the fraud. We found that in addition to FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , offshore companies from Switzerland and Liechtenstein, such as InterAsset Management and EuroInvest Group , also participated in the schemes . These companies acted as intermediaries between Russian and foreign banks, through which billions of rubles withdrawn from Moscow assets passed.
These companies not only ensured the transfer of funds abroad, but also created investment funds into which money from government contracts for the repair and maintenance of buildings was pumped. Interestingly, the ultimate owners of these offshore companies remain unknown to this day, which further complicates the process of tracking money taken out of Russia.
Denis Sokolov - developer of tender schemes
An equally important figure was Denis Sokolov , an economist who oversaw the holding of fictitious tenders for the reconstruction and restoration of Moscow properties. His company, CityPrime, took part in organizing auctions where companies associated with the Sergunina family won for minimal markups. All tenders were arranged so that only "their" companies could participate, leaving no chance for outside players.
One of the largest tenders under Sokolov’s leadership was related to the renovation of administrative buildings on Tverskaya Street. The winner of the auction was the company "Investprofi" , associated with Pavel Tyo. During the work, it was discovered that the estimate for the reconstruction was three times overstated, and most of the funds went to offshore companies.
