Russia 091125 Basic Political Developments
The Moscow Times: A Third World Killing
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- Gazeta.ru: The Diary of Sergei Magnitsky disappeared in Matrosskaya Tishina
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The Moscow Times: A Third World Killinghttp://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/a-third-world-killing/390270.html 25 November 2009 By Yulia Latynina Last week, 37-year-old Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer for Hermitage Capital, died in a Moscow pretrial detention center. William Browder, head of Hermitage Capital and a talented financier, did a lot to improve the investment climate in Russia in the 1990s. We learned much from Browder about the way Gazprom is structured, and he was the first to inform the world about the existence of the Eural Trans Gas company, which traded gas from Central Asia through Ukraine to Europe. In 2005, Browder investigated the ownership structure of Surgutneftegaz, a company that political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky claims actually belongs to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. As a result, Browder was forced to leave Russia, and Hermitage Capital’s office was raided in June 2007. Heading the search was Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Kuznetsov, an official with the tax inspection department of the Interior Ministry. As Magnitsky later stated in testimony that may have been his death sentence, “Kuznetsov was present during the search of the branch office … and said that if we had met with him earlier as he had suggested, none of this would have happened.” During the raid, agents seized official company stamps for three companies through which Hermitage, like any participant on the Russian market, traded shares with the goal of optimizing tax liability. Then, control of those companies was transferred to Moscow tax inspection offices Nos. 25 and 28. Next, a few phony firms brought hyped-up lawsuits against them in St. Petersburg that resulted in the former Hermitage companies being charged with a debt of 5.4 billion rubles ($187.5 million). The new owners of the three companies then requested that the tax inspectors refund that sum in profits tax that they had previously overpaid. The tax inspectors quickly transferred money that had been converted to cash by using the small Universal Savings Bank controlled by Dmitry Klyuyev, a famous name in the world of corporate fraud. He was given a three-year suspended sentence for his role in a scam involving shares of the Mikhailovsky mining works. What’s more, Klyuyev had a distant relationship with the security service of the Renaissance Capital investment bank, which, as Browder explained, suffered the same type of raid that the Hermitage subsidiaries suffered. Renaissance did not lodge a formal complaint for understandable reasons. It was obvious that any group capable of making a tax refund using phony structures had ties that are better left unchallenged. Renaissance understood that crossing the siloviki could be very dangerous. Browder, however, had nothing to lose. He was faced with an outrageous situation. The firms stolen from him during the raid, regardless of how small or bogus they were, were used to cheat the state out of 5.4 billion rubles. Browder went public with his accusations. What happened after that is incredible: Browder’s lawyer was put on the most wanted list, and the prosecutor began trying to prove that it was actually Browder who had stolen the 5.4 billion rubles. For all intents and purposes, Magnitsky was tortured to death to extract testimony against Browder. Magnitsky’s death marks a new stage in Russian history — its has definitely become a Third World country. Before, investors complained while sipping cocktails after work how siloviki stole their assets. Now, they complain how the siloviki kill their colleagues during pretrial detention.
/Google translation/ Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor's Office (UPC) opened a criminal investigation into the death of a lawyer of investment fund Hermitage Capital Management Sergei Magnitskogo in jail, "Sailor's Silence". Investigators saw in the tragic incident, the signs of negligence and failure to assist a patient. This happened immediately after Dmitry Medvedev instructed Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov, to investigate what happened. In addition, the President instructed to check the quality of care provided in institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service, and analyze the practice of detention of suspects of economic crimes. Yesterday was nine days after the death of Sergei Magnitsky, arrested exactly one year ago, on Nov. 24, 2008. This "Gazeta" said his mother, Natalia. She also reported that she was not given some of the things the deceased son. According to her, when she came on Monday in the "Sailor's Silence", she was asked to wait until the authorities decide that it is out of things to give. "Then there were materials that someone compromise" - she said. According to the woman lost part of the Prison Correspondence of Sergei with his family and his diaries. This was confirmed by Magnitsky lawyer Dmitry Kharitonov, now representing the interests of Natalya Nikolaevna. "I know of at least four of his notebooks - Kharitonov said. - I've seen them and worked with them, along with Sergei. There were copies of his petitions, as well as personal notes, that is, it is quite important evidence in the case." According to counsel, 24 November, he filed a complaint with the UPC in connection with the loss of notebooks. It requires that they be removed and attached to the record. Kharitonov said that since the death of Sergei, he had already filed about 10 applications and petitions, but the reaction has not yet followed. The lawyer said that he considers it necessary to conduct audits of all the circumstances of this case: as it is instituted and investigated how and why Magnitsky imprisoned for non-violent crime and held in prison for a year. 37-year-old Sergei Magnitsky, a former tax and legal advisor to the investment fund Hermitage, died on November 16 in jail, "Sailor's Silence". Death was allegedly as a result of cardiovascular failure. In the Investigation Committee under the Ministry of Interior of Russia claimed that during the detention Magnitsky never complained of health - in fact there is no document confirming his indisposition. However, a lawyer, relatives and colleagues of the deceased has already issued several complaints from Magnitsky in jail administration and Prosecutor General's Office, the inhuman conditions of detention, denial of treatment (the prisoner suffered from a serious illness) and exerted psychological pressure. However, they were rejected or not reviewed. According to investigators, in 2002 Magnitsky tried to halve tax payments on profits, after arranging a fictitious company owned by Hermitage disabilities. Investigators believe that as a result of this scheme, the budget received less than 500 million rubles. In the Hermitage declare that all persons with disabilities were employed legally. Moreover, it argued that Magnitsky arrested for having defended the interests of the Fund in the commission of fraud against the company, who had been involved in law enforcement and a few corrupt officials. Management believes Hermitage, Magnitsky deliberately not provided medical aid, forcing change testimony. Published in the publication "Gazeta", № 222 dated November 25, 2009 Axisglobe: FSB dissident Litvinenko was murdered for revelations on KGB and FSB ties with Italian politicians - MP Guzzanti http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1954 24.11.2009 The former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Alexander Litvinenko* who was poisoned in November, 2006, in London, could have been murdered because he was giving evidence on ties between the Italian politicians and the KGB and the FSB, Italian parliament member Paolo Guzzanti told in an interview to Radio Liberty. Paolo Guzzanti headed the so-called Mitrokhin's commission which in 2002-2006 was engaged in studying of the documents taken out from the USSR by the former employee of the KGB archive Vasily Mitrokhin. Three months ago Guzzanti published a book, Il mio agente Sasha (My Agent Sasha), declaring that Litvinenko had been the main informer of the commission. The new book is to be presented on November 26, at Libreria Battei in Parma, Italy, according to Parmadaily.it. "The probability that Litvinenko was killed because of Mitrokhin's commission, is rather high,” Guzzanti told the radio, emphasizing that Putin had really had serious interest in disruption of the commission’s work. In the day of poisoning, a member of commission, Mario Scaramella, met with Litvinenko. He had arrived to tell him about threats addressed to both of them by an e-mail. Guzzanti concedes that these threats could be sent intentionally to arrange a meeting to cast suspicions on Scaramella. "Litvinenko himself had thought that it was Scaramella who poisoned him... British police had the same suspecions. Everybody thought so!” marks Guzzanti. Scaramella and Litvinenko had to meet Igor Ponomarev, Russia’s representative in the International Maritime Organization, but he had suddenly died of heart attack on October 30, 2006. Guzzanti considered that Ponomarev had been killed by radioactive substance, the same way as Litvinenko. Autopsy was impossible, as the Russian embassy immediately had taken away Ponomarev’s body, Guzanti noted. "Both, Ponomarev and Litvinenko were contacts of Mario Scaramella,” he added. Guzzanti already for a long time has stated that Litvinenko was killed for the compromising information on former Italy’s Prime Minister Romano Prodi. He wrote earlier that the same compromising evidence was the reason of murder of Russian journalist Ivan Safronov in 2007 and the FSB General Anatoly Trofimov in 2005. Mitrokhin's commission established that Prodi had been connected with the KGB, but the Italian newspapers did not become interested in it, according to Guzzanti. He says the criticism of the Russian secret services and Vladimir Putin is simply forbidden in Italy as Prime Minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi is a friend of Putin. In January, 2007, the British TV and radio corporation BBC showed video with participation of Litvinenko who told Scaramella that Prodi had ties with the KGB. This was ostensibly reported by the late General Trofimov. He said he had no other sources. The daily La Repubblica wrote that it was Paolo Guzzanti who sent Scaramella to the former FSB officer as the term of work of Mitrokhin’s commission was expiring and Guzzanti allegedly ordered to find a person who would agree to accuse for money the Italian politician of ties with the Soviet secret services. (* AIA published Alexander Litvinenko: A Complete Profile on this website) Directory: gifiles -> attach attach -> British Forces – Akrioti, Greece Griffin Fighter Squadron (84 Squadron raf) MoD announced possible Typhoon and Tornado arrivals to the base France attach -> Russia 110204 Basic Political Developments attach -> Unclassified//for official use only attach -> Adaptability Sustainment attach -> Pop-up 1 ("C" Chechnya) Header Text: Emir of the Caucasus Emirate Doku Umarov Image attach -> Russia and Islam are not Separate attach -> Chapter 13: The Northern Caucasus attach -> Russia 100209 Basic Political Developments attach -> The evolution attach -> The devolution Download 257.4 Kb. Share with your friends:
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