Alisher Usmanov
Businessman Alisher Usmanov has denied all charges of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and called his word a lie. About this businessman said in an interview with the newspaper “Vedomosti”. “The bulk crossed the red line, began to accuse me of is actually a crime. All I can say about his statement is a lie,” he said.
Refuting the statements of the Bulk, Usmanov said that the act of donation of the estate at Znamenskoye, a charitable Foundation was part of the deal for acquisition of the land for connection to the territory of his country house.
Usmanov denied by Navalny on participation in privatisation transactions, which “made his fortune”. According to the businessman, he never participated in the state privatization and all of its assets were acquired “on the open market at a high enough market value from private owners”. The only asset acquired by Usmanov and his partners from the state, is the license to develop the Udokan Deposit is one of the largest transactions for acquisition of rights of subsoil use in Russia, he said.
Also Usmanov has drawn attention to the fact that Navalny is not familiar with the character of activity of the enterprises “metalloinvesta”, denouncing the allegedly low wages the “miners”. He reminded that there are mined in an open way, and the miners there. The businessman has told that employees of “metalloinvest” receive salaries that exceed the average for the region. Thus, according to him, the comparison with the United States incorrect, as the productivity per person in enterprises “metalloinvest” is lower than in similar enterprises in the West. The company follows the socially oriented policy, pays the salaries of tens of thousands of people and is aware that in conditions of low spatial mobility and high average age of staff is committed to rapid modernization is fraught with unemployment, he said.
In addition, Usmanov has stated that it does not interfere in the activities of their media assets, and it is impossible to blame the “imposition of censorship”. The only precedent with the removal of the chief editor of “the Power” Maxim Kowalski has been associated with ethically unacceptable style and tone, and today he’s back in “Kommersant”.
According to Usmanov, he has not ceased to be a resident of Russia, where he pays taxes and as an individual, and as co-owner of the assets. As an individual Usmanov paid in Russia with the account a tax return for the year 2016 more than $ 400 million. The businessman also said that in the last period of time the main income he brings investment in high-tech companies abroad and in Russia.
Earlier Usmanov said that he was going to sue Navalny in connection with the publications discrediting honour and dignity and slander in published investigations.
In early March, was published investigation of the Fund of struggle against corruption, Navalny founded, allegedly affiliated with the Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev charities and non-profits. In particular, the article claimed that the classmate Medvedev Ilya Yeliseyev and associated sotsgosproyekt Foundation received from Usmanov in the donation agreement, the land plot with a house in the village of Znamenskoye on Rublevsky highway cost 5 billion rubles. In the Kremlin these materials called “an example of creativity of the convicted citizen.”