At Ukraine’s request, assets of a Russian businessman were seized in Italy for €41 million
30 July 2024 04:17
The Financial Guard of Florence, at the request of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv, has seized the assets of a Russian businessman worth 41 million euros. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Ansa, La Repubblica and Corriere Fiorentino.
The seized assets include real estate and shares in companies that were acquired through the reinvestment of illegal profits.
According to Corriere Fiorentino, the man in question is 68-year-old Russian oligarch Alexei Fedorichev, who lives in Monte Carlo.
According to La Repubblica, the man is one of the richest people in the world, in particular, he works in the field of raw materials trade, owns ports, sponsors sports teams, and invests in the chemical and fertiliser sectors.
Italian media reports that the businessman himself is under investigation for crimes in Ukraine related to corruption of public officials, fraud against a Ukrainian state-owned company that sells agricultural products worth more than $60 million, and money laundering.
The assets, real estate and shares of companies (including a 12th-century castle in the Pian de Giullari area) seized by law enforcement officers are the result of reinvestment of the illegally accumulated proceeds.
Law enforcers found that the Russian, by reinvesting part of the illegally obtained funds through a trust company based in Florence, owned the entire capital of the company that owned a luxury real estate centre in the capital of Tuscany. In addition, the seized assets include shares in the company with a nominal value of EUR 3 million and four properties worth almost EUR 38 million.
What is known about Oleksiy Fedorichev
A pro-Russian oligarch twice sanctioned by Ukraine, owner of the largest stevedoring operator in Ukraine, TIS Group. Fedorichev owns TIS-Grain and TIS-Fertilisers. His business is growing even despite the full-scale Russian invasion: the port, berths and terminals of TIS Group are the main gateway to the grain corridor.
Alexey Fedorichev was born in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region. At the beginning of his professional career, he obtained Hungarian citizenship, and not much later became a resident of Monaco.
Initially, Alexei Fedorichev wanted to become an athlete. In the 70s, he even played ball hockey for the Zorkiy team. And later for Kryvbas in Kryvyi Rih.
Already in 1987, the future businessman left the USSR and his future activities had nothing to do with sports. He became a trader.
In the mid-90s, he opened his own company called Fedcom and registered in Monaco. The main specialisation of this company was the export of sulphur and fertilisers from the former Soviet republics, including Ukraine.
Fedorichev has been repeatedly suspected by the French and Italian police of money laundering for the N’Drangheta (the Italian mafia of the Calabria province), the Ukrainian mafia and the Russian mafia.
The Monaco police suspected Fedcominvest of money laundering back in 1997.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, in July-October 2014, Fedorichev entered into a corrupt conspiracy with the top management of the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine (SFGCU). As a result, he fraudulently seized grain from the state corporation worth $61 million.
The SFGCU purchased the grain in question on the domestic grain market with a loan from the Eximbank of the People’s Republic of China, which was obtained under the state guarantees of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, i.e. under the guarantee of budget funds.
In late 2016 and early 2017. NABU made a number of detentions of employees of the State Food and Beverage Company and companies controlled by Fedorichev in Ukraine, who were served with notices of suspicion. In March 2017, NABU detectives opened another criminal proceeding against Fedorichev, this time under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191, Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. A notice of suspicion was also issued to Fedorichev himself, but when the Monaco Judicial Police attempted to serve it, he refused to sign for it and is currently hiding from Ukrainian law enforcement in Monaco.
In April 2018, Alexei Fedorichev was put on the national wanted list in Ukraine.
Fedorichev has been subject to Ukrainian sanctions twice.
in 2019, personal sanctions were imposed on Oleksiy, including asset freeze, prevention of capital withdrawal from Ukraine, denial of visas and other prohibitions on entry to Ukraine.
on 14 May 2020, President Zelenskyy removed Fedorichev from the sanctions list.
In 2022, sanctions were imposed on Fedorichev. The National Security and Defence Council sees his commercial activities as providing a significant source of income for the Russian government, which is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine.
