Results of the search: financial statements, handguns, equipment for eavesdropping and field surveillance… The website Prigovor.ru reminds its readers of what happened on July 15, 2003.
On this day 20 years ago, on July 15, 2003, wider public was bracing for the return from the United States the head of the oil company NK Yukos and swindler Mikhail Khodorkovsky. On the eve, he flew to America to participate in the party for members of the elite of the world business “Sun Valley Conference” in the state Idaho.
SELLER OF “BOREHOLE AIR OF FREEDOM”
All possible media outlets reported that Khodorkovsky was “the sole invited” businessman from Russia, and that “agreement to take part in the event” he had given as early as half a year ago. In fact, Khodorkovsky, from the point of view of excessive loyalty, passed very well into plans of the West with regard to servicing its interests inside Russia. Khodorkovsky passed as a purse and “seller” of ideas about “democracy”, “open society”, “fair competitive market” and other American tricks behind which the Americans have always been hiding their dirty and bloody international ventures. It’s not by chance that the Finance Minister John W. Snow and CIA director George Tenet also took part in this event.
(See also the article “On this day, against the backdrop of searches, Khodorkovsky flew to the United States”. Trying to find traces of shares of the company “Apatit” in Yukos archive. The robber baron flew to a closed business party with participation of the head of the CIA).
“We should make a cast of them and should not change anything”
And Khodorkovsky was openly striving not only towards engagement with global operations of apologists of “rockets-and-bombs” democracy, he tried also to make of Russia a counterfeit America. The bank “Menatep”, for instance, dreamed to take over functions of emissive center, by analogy to the U.S. Federal Reserve. And Khodorkovsky himself dreamed of driving Russian into a framework proposed by America.
The other day, Dmitry Medvedev, vide-president of the Security Council of Russia, recalled his conversation with an “oil oligarch” who, “after sitting his term in jail, turned the main opposition activist”. “Approximately in 2002, he told me, that we had everything wrong. I asked him: “And what should it be?” And received a wonderful answer: “Well, just simply as it is in America. We should make a cast of them and should not change anything. It’s as good as it gets”. Verbatim”, said Dmitry Medvedev, sharing his recollections.
Although he didn’t mention the name of this oilman, the pattern of thinking of oligarchs of that period, including “the king of borehole liquid” Khodorkovsky, can be easily guessed. Had, at that time, “the Khodorkovsky’s cast” of America been made in Russia, nowadays Khodorkovsky would have only served half of his well-deserved prison terms – in America, they don’t like their own tax criminals and corporative tricksters. It is just that the law in Russia is a bit more humane, then in case of this “sample democracy” Khodorkovsky is mad about.
VAIN COMPLAINTS OF YUKOS LAWYERS
On the same day, on July 15, 2003, the results were being summed up of the large scale investigative actions realized within the framework of the investigation of the criminal case over embezzlement of the 20% stock of shares of the JSC “Apatit”. It was over this case that the head of the International Financial Association MFO “Menatep” Platon Lebedev was placed in detention. Yukos lawyers, using the theme of the searches and withdrawals, organized a “disturbing” press-conference and told there about “an action of intimidation” and about “dozens of violations during the investigative actions” (in court, these claims were not confirmed, and the actions were acknowledged legal).
The newspaper “Kommersant”, having assessed not only furious speeches of Yukos lawyers, but also the picture in its totality, came out with a characteristic and rather impish title – “Yukos lawyers complained in vein, everything is just beginning”.
GENTLEMAN’S SET OF “WHITE COLLARS” FROM YUKOS
The defense of Yukos, actually, had reasons to get nervous. From the archives of “the most transparent” oil company lots of documents were withdrawn, as well as servers with archives, handguns, special equipment for field surveillance and eavesdropping. The inventory list of the withdrawal took up 14 pages. Yet, the visit of the investigation to the JSC “Apatit” was held in a more tranquil atmosphere – the leadership of the JSC “Apatit” voluntarily handed over documents that were of interest for the investigation. During the seizure, were recovered documents about movements of shares, finance statements and various reports of the company – the investigation was trying to find an answer to the following question – where the swindlers from Yukos and “Menatep” “had drained” the stolen stock of shares of this enterprise?
It was found out that they had split it and dropped to offshores in order not to give it back to the state, as it had been required by the ruling of the court. Law and the court were suggesting to the swindlers – give back the shares. Greed dictated – you should hide the stolen. The trickster Khodorkovsky and Lebedev subordinated to greed”, notes the website Prigovor.ru.
(See also the previous article “On this day, an inquiry about Yukos affairs arrived at the Office of the Prosecutor General”. Deputy of the State Duma Nikolay Daykhes told about tax machinations of the company of Khodorkovsky* in the town Lesnoy. The website Prigovor.ru reminds its readers of what happened on July 14, 2003).
*On May 20, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Justice included M.B. Khodorkovsky in the list of physical persons executing functions of a foreign agent.
