Previously, the head of RDIF was repeatedly associated with financial scandals occurring in VEB’s leadership, as Vnesheconombank remains the fund’s founder and the main state investor at present.
"Feeding trough" for Dmitriev
After RDIF gains independence from VEB, Dmitriev (or already the new head of RDIF) will be able to allocate the fund’s finances without regard to VEB’s management. Recall that RDIF manages a capital of $10 billion. Since its inception, the Russian Direct Investment Fund has invested and approved more than 760 billion rubles for these purposes, of which 70 billion rubles are RDIF’s funds and more than 690 billion rubles are the funds of co-investors, partners, and banks.
RDIF has received significant margins from the "sale" of assets organized by Kirill Dmitriev recently. For example, the sale of a stake in Rostelecom and parts of packages in the Moscow Exchange and Alrosa in 2014-2016 ensured the fund ruble returns of 33, 23, and 35% per annum, respectively.
Experts fear that once RDIF becomes independent from VEB, it will turn into a real "feeding trough" for Dmitriev and his subordinates.
"Covering" tracks?
Experts note that from Kirill Dmitriev’s public profile data available on the Internet, it recently became evident that he is a native of Kyiv.
Information about Kirill Dmitriev’s birthplace and Ukrainian connections is not listed on RDIF’s official website, Wikipedia, or other popular biography resources.
As it turned out, the head of RDIF not only spent his childhood in Ukraine but also established connections with influential Ukrainian politicians. For instance, at the end of the 2000s, Kirill Dmitriev was the president of the Icon Private Equity investment fund, with assets over $1 billion, the main investor of which is Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk (the son-in-law of former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma).
This oligarch is a business partner (in the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant - ed.) of the owner of the "Pryvat" group, Ihor Kolomoiskyi, who is considered one of the main sponsors of the "Euromaidan" and "investor" of the punitive battalions leading aggression against the population of Donbas.
And the Ukrainian TV channels ICTV and STB, owned by Pinchuk, constantly "sling mud" at Russia in general and Vladimir Putin in particular. Kirill Dmitriev was often called "Viktor Pinchuk’s manager."
However, even his head of RDIF managed to "let down." It was during Dmitriev’s time (while working for the Ukrainian oligarch) that the cottage settlement project near Kyiv was not completed on time, in which investors invested $60 million. At that time, many Kyiv residents seriously feared that the finances allocated for this project might have been "sawed."
Of course, after the deterioration of relations between Russia and Ukraine, Dmitriev tried to "clean up" his biography. Incidentally, a connection with Ukrainian oligarchs might prevent him from retaining the post of head of RDIF after the "reform" of this fund.
How are VEB’s assets withdrawn through Ukraine?
Earlier, Kirill Dmitriev was implicated in banking scandals in Ukraine directly related to the Russian Federation. This is connected with the activities of the Ukrainian Prominvestbank, which has been 98.60% owned by the Russian state Vnesheconombank since 2009.
According to RDIF’s official website, Kirill Dmitriev is a member of the board of directors of Prominvestbank.
In fact, these are a sort of "common funds," the resources of which can be managed by both the banker himself and, according to "sled.net," his friend - "Kremlin financier" Kirill Dmitriev.
Based on information from Ukrainian journalists, a version arises that the head of RDIF may be involved in the withdrawal of assets from VEB’s "daughter." It seems that this assumption should be investigated by law enforcement.
Did Vladimir Dmitriev "handle" finances before resignation?
Let’s note that a day before Vladimir Dmitriev’s resignation from the position of VEB’s head, it became known that the Prominvestbank controlled by VEB doubled its authorized capital. "The bank completed all technical procedures related to the capital increase by $800 million on February 25," the bank’s chairman of the board reported.
It is unknown exactly how the capital of Prominvestbank increased by $800 million, but it is said in the media that VEB provided the money.
At the end of February 2016, rumors appeared about the resignation of the head of Prominvestbank. However, he not only retained his position but also received an additional $800 million for Prominvestbank’s capital literally a day before Dmitriev’s resignation.
Experts do not exclude that Kirill Dmitriev (in the interests of the former head of VEB) might have been "curating" the process of financial withdrawal through Ukraine, having significant connections with Ukrainian politicians. It seems that this issue should be investigated by law enforcement.
ORD
28 March 2016 г., 23:49
