The Case Of Alexei Ulyukayev. Five major “dark places”
On the night of 15 November the police detained the Minister of economic development of Russia Alexei Ulyukayev. Investigators believe he could be involved in the bribery of two million dollars; his phone tapped at least a few months. While the official comments of the case raise more questions than answers. “Medusa” has collected the main ones.
The speaker really took the bribe?
The circumstances of receiving bribes unclear: unlike other similar processes, the UK has not published a video of the arrest.
In the press release of the Ministry clearly States: “the circumstances of the crime associated with obtaining… Alexei Ulyukaev November 14, 2016, two million dollars.”
In another press release said that the speaker was caught red-handed. However, the sources of “Novaya Gazeta” reported that money has been put in a Bank cell, and the speaker for them didn’t come. According to the same sources, wiretaps talking only “about the presence of the Minister for the money”. What lies behind this wording is unclear.
A separate question is, did the speaker attempt to give up the money — and if so, can law enforcement officers be considered as “provocation of a bribe”.
Could the speaker to influence the purchase of shares of “Bashneft”, “Rosneft”?
Formally, the privatization in the area of competence of the Ministry of economic development manages the Agency that it formally initiate the privatization of specific companies and indicates the price of the asset, and the government approves the deal.
It is hinted the Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the decision on sale of state asset state-owned companies under privatization it was “surprised”.
“It’s really the position of the government of the Russian Federation, primarily its financial and economic block”, — Putin said in October 2016.
However, it is unlikely the fate of the sale of Bashneft decided exclusively by the Ministry of economic development. This scandalous transaction (“Rosneft” has received the “Bashneft” without competition), which expressed many officials — from the Vice Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich Advisor to the President Andrei Belousov and press Secretary of Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov. Sands vaguely indicated that the President is aware of the history of privatization: he said “have an understanding” — state-owned companies cannot participate in privatisation.
In the first press release of SK it is said that two million dollars was intended “for the Ministry of economic development issued a positive evaluation” of the deal. The second wording has changed for “the issuance of a positive conclusion and evaluation” of the sale.
In other words, the speaker began to suspect that he either stated an incorrect value of the shares of “Bashneft”, or extorted money for to specify the correct.
Meanwhile it is known that the speaker was an opponent of the deal and has repeatedly spoken out against this decision. Even when it took place, the Minister said that perhaps it is an intermediate step, and did not rule out the further sale of “Bashneft” to foreign investors.
Why the arrest occurred now?
Alexei Ulyukayev detained on the eve of his trip to Peru, but it is difficult to assume that the Minister was going there to escape. It was a business trip to the APEC summit; the Minister were to join including Vladimir Putin, his participation in the summit was not cancelled.
NewsHow to know if your phone is tapped?
At the same time, we know that the investigators for at least several months were wiretapping phone speaker — just at a time when the Ministry of economic development was actively settled in the forecasts that formed the basis of the budget. And just at a time when the Ministry of economic development actively participated in the privatization of Rosneft is expected that the state will get rid of a 19.5% stake in the company before the end of the year, and the buyer most likely will speak itself “Rosneft”.
What is the degree of participation in the case of “Rosneft”?
The first reports about the detention Ulyukayev said that the deal on purchase of “Bashneft” is not put by the investigators questioned. Rosneft immediately assured that it was “supercurrency deal.”
“Novaya Gazeta” wrote that the business was conducted with the participation of the head of the security service of “Rosneft” Oleg Feoktistov. He previously worked in the FSB. How exactly he was involved in the investigation is unknown.
What is the degree of participation in the case of the President?
By words a press-Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin was aware of the “case speaker” from the beginning of rapid development. In essence, this means that when the President said he was “surprised” by the decision to sell Bashneft to Rosneft, he already knew that the attitude of the speaker under investigation — and that is the deal.