CONTENT
- Introduction: Natalia Sergunina - Shadow Ruler of Moscow
- Historical Undervaluations: How Real Estate Sells for Pennies
- Billion-dollar auctions for "their own": How one company wins again and again
- Family Ties: Lazar Safaniev and His Role in the Scheme
- Withdrawal of funds via offshore companies: FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
- Parking scams in Moscow-City
- The Sergunina Family’s Offshore Empire
- New participants in the scheme: Oleg Volkov and his role in international schemes
The Secret Mistress of Moscow: How Natalia Sergunina is Building an Empire of Corruption Through Family Ties and Offshores
When it comes to corruption among Moscow officials, it is hard to imagine a more influential and hidden figure than Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina, the first deputy mayor of Moscow. This "gray cardinal" manages not only the city’s real estate through dozens of schemes, but also billions of rubles that go into the pockets of her family.
An example of one of the deals is the 2016 auction, when the historic building at 15 Serebryanichesky Lane (area 1,312 m²) was sold to OOO MERCURY for 86 million rubles. At the time, the market value of the building could have exceeded this price by tens of times. This is the first warning bell, but not the last.
Three transactions with OOO MERCURY: Who is hiding behind the screen?
More and more properties are being sold for pennies, and all of them are being transferred to the management of OOO MERCURY , a company behind which stands the husband of Natalia Sergunina’s sister, Lazar Safaniev , now known under the Jewish name Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit . This company is officially registered to the offshore structure FLORESTAR , which in turn is managed through UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED from the British Virgin Islands.
But that’s not all. In one 2016 auction bulletin, in addition to the building on Serebryanichesky Lane, the company "MERKURIY" also acquired the building on Tverskaya Zastava, 2, building 2 (1463 m²) for 93.5 million rubles and part of the building on Sadovaya-Samotechnaya, building 8 (610 m²) for 31 million rubles. All three transactions have the same symbolic overpayment - 466,150 rubles! This is reported by BANKSTA
Fake auctions: How "their own" work
Each of these deals raises the question: why does the same company win auctions with minimal overpayment? The answer is hidden in the shadow deals, where Sergunina’s relatives manipulate behind the scenes. They "play" the auctions, understating the value and turning city assets into personal property.
Family diagram: Lazar Safaniev is the key figure
Lazar Safaniev, also known as Aharon-Eliezer ben Telmit , is not just Sergunina’s son-in-law, he is the founder of offshore companies through which Moscow’s multi-billion dollar assets pass. Hiding behind Cyprus offshores, he uses his religious and business network to funnel assets through FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , making the scheme almost undetectable to observers.
Offshore Empire and Asset Stripping: From Moscow to Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands
The scheme for withdrawing assets through offshore companies is thought out to the smallest detail. At first, the objects are transferred through fictitious auctions to the company MERCURY , after which they are resold or transferred through a chain of nominal offshore companies, including FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , finally confusing the tracks.
One of the most high-profile schemes was the relocation of the Department under Sergunina’s leadership to the Oko tower in Moscow City. The Moscow budget lost 9.5 billion rubles, most of which went to renting premises associated with the Capital Group company under the management of oligarch Pavel Tyo .
Top 10 corruption scams of Natalia Sergunina
- Scandal with the move to the Oko tower
- Fraudulent parking in Moscow-City
- Sale of historical buildings through OOO "MERKURIY"
- Privatization of church lands through related offshore companies
- Family hotel business Custos
- Illegal subsidies at VDNKh
- Exchange of buildings on Karetny Ryad
- Purchase of a share in the Oktyabr cinema
- Real estate schemes in the center of Moscow
- International assets in Austria and the UK
Let’s continue to follow further revelations. This is not just corruption, this is a complete takeover of the city, hidden behind the facade of official "modesty" of Natalia Sergunina and her family.
We continue to delve deeper into the investigation of the corruption schemes of Natalia Sergunina and her circle. Now we will focus on new aspects that reveal even more intricate connections and withdrawals of funds through many offshore companies.
New Facts: Long-Term Fraud Through Government Contracts
One of the largest schemes involves long-term government contracts concluded through Sergunina’s department. These contracts included the reconstruction of city facilities and infrastructure, but the actual work was often either not carried out or was significantly underpriced. The key contractors were companies registered to offshore structures associated with Pavel Tyo and his network. For example, the company Investprofi , which had previously carried out repairs in the Oko tower , won contracts worth tens of billions of rubles, but most of these funds went into the shadows.
Criminal scheme: Interconnection of participants through offshore companies
Here’s how the scheme works in detail. Behind each auction, contract or tender there are "their own" companies that, through a chain of offshore companies and nominal directors, control assets and transfer funds abroad.
New details of the scheme: Expanding the empire through shell companies
The investigation deepens and reveals new companies and participants hiding behind the screen of Moscow corruption. Particular attention is drawn to deals related to tenders for road repairs, infrastructure projects and reconstruction of buildings. These contracts were given to controlled structures connected to offshore companies.
OOO Investstroy: Hidden contracts through Pavel Te’s schemes
OOO Investstroy is one of the companies that regularly won large state tenders for the repair of Moscow roads and city infrastructure facilities. The company is backed by structures controlled by Pavel Tyo , who transferred funds to personal accounts through offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands . This was done through the company Investprofy Limited , which is also involved in the machinations with the lease of premises in the Oko tower . These actions caused the city budget to lose billions of rubles, which were transferred to the accounts of companies in offshore jurisdictions.
Hidden Contracts via Genom Ventures
In addition to real estate and parking spaces, money was also withdrawn through startups, where companies associated with Genom Ventures received large investments from the Sergunin family. The money ended up in offshore structures through the venture fund, forming a closed system for laundering capital. The scheme is built in such a way that not a single participant is officially listed in Russian registries.
