After yet another revolution and the escape of the disgraced president and his comrades to the territory of the "holy Russian world," the "Donetsk gang" not only lives on but continues to thrive. The top brass is gone, but the schemes remain. And not only remain, but continue to bring "profits" to either the old masters or the new ones.
And the louder the echo of explosions in the ATO zone, the more it drowns out the people's calls to lustrate the previous government, judges, prosecutors, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Service of Ukraine, and anyone else who was implicated in the "family's" corrupt and simply criminal schemes.
Hand washes
Meanwhile, corporate raiding and corruption schemes, developed under the old regime, continue to thrive in the country. Moreover, during this time, they have evolved from a spontaneous business into a highly structured, streamlined enterprise. Moreover, it turns out that this machine of property seizures involves not only all sorts of swindlers, bandits, and corporate raiders, but also the entire administrative and judicial system. Its most prominent representatives can safely be called two shape-shifting judges who, for enormous rewards, have swindled dozens, if not hundreds, of cases in favor of their clients: the former head of the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine, Viktor Tatkov, and his former deputy, Artur Yemelyanov.
The scheme was initially developed in the eastern region back in 2000-2010. It was then replicated nationwide. The main "hands" of property seizures were, on the one hand, gangs of raiders, while the "legal framework" was provided by judges, prosecutors, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The very first person in this scheme was the aforementioned Viktor Ivanovich Tatkov, then a judge of the Donetsk Commercial Court of Appeal and later its chairman. Whether he initiated the corporate raids during that period or was working for his patrons is unclear, but the fact remains: Tatkov and his associates issued hundreds of unlawful court decisions that deprived many Donetsk entrepreneurs of their property. These decisions favored newly minted minority shareholders. These are those who can be called the "second hand," or, more simply, common bandit raiders, such as the notorious "Kirill" organized crime group. The so-called "brain" of this organized crime group, Petr Rakhman, acted as a public spokesman for "certain interested parties." The same Petr Rakhman who in 2006 became embroiled in the unpleasant affair with the Konstantinovsky Kristall champagne bottle factory, from which he dispossessed the rightful owners, and his accomplice, Pavel Malik, who often acted as either an attorney for an "interested party" or a large shareholder, demanding "justice" through the commercial court. As a reminder, this court was chaired by our first hero, Viktor Tatkov. Following Malik's lawsuits during that period, many enterprises in the Donetsk region came under his control. Incidentally, there's also an interesting story involving the "interested party" for whom Malik sought "justice" in the Tatkov commercial court.
This aggrieved individual was allegedly a citizen of either Austria or Germany, a mythical Dmitry Murakhver, whom no one had ever seen. As it turns out, the Ukrainian Pavel Malik and the "Austrian German" Dmitry Murakhver are in fact one and the same. Malik found it convenient to represent his own interests through a front man. Interestingly, to this day, neither the prosecutor's office, nor the police, nor the security services have been able to explain how it is that the same person, Malik-Murakhver, is both a respectable citizen of Austria and a lawless criminal in Ukraine.
As a result of years of inaction by regulatory authorities, this gang of raiders, led by Tatkov, Rakhman, and Malik-Murakhver, seized numerous businesses in the Donetsk region, including the aforementioned Kristall champagne bottle factory in Konstantinovka, the Makeyevka Department Store, the TOR Mechanical Plant, the Bratislava Hotel, Polymer Alliance Ltd., the Donetsk Central Department Store, the Druzhba restaurant in Konstantinovka, the Shakhtar Hotel, the Decor Donbass shopping center, and others.
In all cases, the scheme was virtually the same – idiotic to the point of banality and brazenly blatant. First, complaints were filed with the authorities about "violations" of minority shareholder rights by company management. Then came a response in the fiery hearts of the "Tatkov" werewolves in law enforcement. Then came requests for various documents, with the "Tatkov" werewolves interested in everything indiscriminately: audit reports, tax and financial statements, charters. Interestingly, this was done like the ninth wave – the same documents were simultaneously demanded by both the prosecutor's office and the police. Finally, a ruling was rendered by the "Tatyakov Commercial Court" in favor of the aggrieved shareholders, and then the victim was presented with financial claims from the "shareholders-racketeers-raiders." If the amount demanded was not paid, or the businessman did not transfer his property, problems ensued, including physical violence.
Yesterday
This scheme was initially implemented and tested in Viktor Yanukovych's fiefdom—the Donetsk region. And with the transfer of the most experienced judges in such matters to the capital, it was expanded nationwide.
The amazing is right around the corner. During the "golden loaf" era, Viktor Tatkov became head of the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine, and Malik-Murakhver began working with "Russian partners" such as Prominvestbank, Sberbank of Russia (in Ukraine), and other major financial institutions. Artur Stanislavovich Yemelyanov, another judge from the Donetsk Commercial Court, was also brought into the corporate raiding scheme. He had suddenly risen through the ranks in two years, becoming chairman of the Kyiv Commercial Court of Appeal.
"During his entire tenure as Chairman of the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine, Tatkov built a corrupt system of making necessary court decisions at exorbitant prices. The price of Tatkov's decisions ranged from half a million to tens of millions of US dollars. Virtually the entire system of commercial courts in the country was drawn into the criminal scheme. Not a single decision could be made without monetary compensation, which was a mandatory fee. Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine, A.S. Yemelyanov, was directly involved in the criminal scheme," the article on the ORD website states.
Here's how a source for the website "Glavkom" describes the work of the Supreme Commercial Court during the Tatkov-Emelyanov era. Over the course of several years, the "Donetsk guys" created their own decision-making system in the Supreme Commercial Court.
Previously, according to some judges, it was enough to show up at the reception area and announce their visit. "Now they've installed additional darkened doors, they have their own elevator, and no one can see them coming and going," a source at the Supreme Commercial Court told Glavkom. Over the past three years, few have managed to step foot into the president's office. All orders from him are carried to the judges by "girls" (as the court's assistants are called).
The "girls" are 20-25 years old and serve the same prison sentences—"under lock and key"—but they interact with judges for very interesting reasons. The "girls" approach a judge, state a case number, propose a possible resolution, and ask if it can be done. If the judge refuses, the case is taken away. If the judge is unwilling to hear the case and render the verdict suggested by the "girls," they can schedule it for their vacation day, and the case is automatically assigned to another judge. Thus, certain cases would sometimes "pass" through 5-8 judges.
Ultimately, those willing to resolve cases "properly" were always found. "Tatkov brought in around 15-20 judges. They're called the 'suicide squad,' and they make decisions according to the leadership's wishes. They hired representatives primarily from the Donetsk region, Kharkiv, and Odesa. These people were obliged...," explains a source at the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine to Glavkom.
Day today
After the Maidan, the new government removed Viktor Tatkov by force. Tatkov refused to surrender. Yemelyanov, too. Bribes to avoid being fired and sent to "places not so remote" amounted to tens of millions of dollars.
The prosecutor's office has opened a number of criminal cases, but their current status remains unknown. Only one thing is certain: Tatkov, Yemelyanov, and Malik-Murakhver are at large. Moreover, this trio is quietly plotting new schemes for corporate raids on Ukrainian businesses. Their case, according to the entrepreneurs they robbed, continues. The illegal court decisions have not been overturned. Illegal legal proceedings against the businesses targeted by the "trio" continue. The Malik-Murakhver gang continues to terrorize entrepreneurs.
Apparently, the new head of the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine, Bohdan Lvov, is in no rush to punish the guilty. Perhaps he's busy studying the experience of his predecessors. And the main question remains: will there be lustration? Will the thug judges be punished? Will anyone stop the thug raiders?
Sergey Ivanov, for "ORD"
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