Vadim Alperin, the "King" of Odessa's Smuggling
Vadim Alperin is an Israeli businessman born in Ukraine. He is known internationally for the tragic events of the Faina (captured by pirates who demanded ransom for the captives), as well as the hijacking of the Ethel (the ship's owners swindled Libyan businessmen out of a large shipment of Hyundai cars). However, these are far from the only exploits of Vadim Aleksandrovich. In Ukraine, he is suspected of business fraud related to tax evasion and embezzlement of public funds.
Vadim Alperin. Businessman on the run
Vadim Aleksandrovich Alperin began storming the walls of Ukrainian business back in the 90s. The businessman took full advantage of the collapse of the USSR and the massive property rout in Ukraine. This period was ideal for business fraud and theft, with colossal sums allocated from the state budget to support the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), customs, and other agencies overseeing the flow of goods and money across the border. However, through a series of schemes (including false court decisions), businessmen like Alperin managed to funnel goods through their companies, and consequently, the money that should have gone to the treasury ended up in the accounts of the swindlers. Everything then followed a simple pattern: "steal – steal, divide – forget." A rift developed between the former partners, and Vadim Aleksandrovich, having taken a significant portion of the stolen funds with him, fled to Israel.
Alperin's next "heroic achievement" was the creation of the so-called "Pension Fund." As you might guess, the money never reached the pensioners. Vadim Alexandrovich successfully invested it in his other "business projects" (including, incidentally, the purchase of the vessel "Faina"). Another idea, successfully implemented by the businessman, was the ability to evade taxes when supplying goods to private individuals. Without thinking twice, he paid the individual (according to various sources, starting from $8,5) and soon entire ships of cargo began to be shipped in his name. This allowed him to buy goods at 20% lower prices and afford to dump prices, methodically eliminating his competitors. After yet another scam, Alperin ran into trouble, and he returned to his spiritual homeland, albeit briefly.
Ukrainian law enforcement compares the businessman to Sergei Kurchenko (who, using his connections in the fiscal and law enforcement systems, built multi-million dollar financial schemes with impunity, for which, among other things, he is wanted by Interpol).
Alperin's "Dangerous Liaisons"
Vadim Alperin previously did business with Leonid Chernovetsky , the former mayor of Kyiv. This is supported by a number of circumstances under which the businessman became a supplier of automotive equipment for Kyiv's road construction projects. According to sources, the leader of the "young team" placed orders with him immediately after a personal conversation with the businessman. After passing through Alperin's company, the equipment, purchased under a state contract from Chernovetsky, increased in price severalfold, and the proceeds ended up in the pockets of the aforementioned individuals.
Other corrupt connections are indicated by the relationships between Vadim Alperin and his business partner, Artur Pruzovsky, with Volodymyr Perederiy and Igor Ustimenko, former heads of the Southern Customs Office of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, as well as Oleksandr Somik (Alperin's godfather), who previously held the post of Deputy Head of the Internal Security Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Odesa Oblast. According to documentation, all these individuals obstructed importing companies (exceeding their official authority) from clearing certain "competing" product groups through customs. Because of this, suppliers were forced to clear their imports only after going through a system of kickbacks controlled by Alperin.
A journalistic investigation exposes Vadim Alperin's involvement in corruption:
To make matters worse, information has leaked online that Vadim Alperin is paying customs officials' salaries out of his own pocket. According to social activist Alexander Krachok, "Alperin's people" can be considered:
· Mogila A.V. 1st Deputy Head of Customs,
· Galenko V.O., acting head of cost
· Suvorova V.O., Deputy Head of the Cost Department.
· Panamarenko T.V. Deputy Head of Payments Department.
· Sizova N.V., acting head of the Infrastructure Department.
· Evstratova V.N. Deputy Head of the Odessa-Port Post,
· Tkachenko V.S. Deputy Head of VMO 3 Odessa port,
· Boychuna, Acting Deputy Head of the Odessa-Port Post
· Lipkovsky A.S. deputy beginning VMO1 Odessa-port.
· Bilaka N.I. Deputy Head of the Infrastructure Department.
· Davydova M., a former employee who was fired for taking a bribe and is now the warehouse manager
If this information is true, then it is not surprising that over the years no one has been able to eradicate Vadim Aleksandrovich's schemes for "tax-free transactions" for his companies and the companies of his partners.
How Alperin's people work
On April 25, 21:00 PM, a container was detained in Ilyichevsk. According to State Fiscal Service officers, a "black contraband container" was being seized at the terminal; its contents did not match the declared contents. The value of the goods was $25.
At this time, messages with the following content began to appear on social networks:
According to the publication Prestupnosti.NET, at the same time, one of the people present at the Bond terminal, while intoxicated, behaved provocatively and began filming journalists and activists, identifying himself as a journalist. The man refused to provide any identification.
Civic activists and journalists appealed to the police officers in the silver car with the license plate "ВН 2259 ЕВ" to identify the deranged individual hanging around the truck carrying the contraband, but they refused.
Video from the site of the "legal seizure" of the container:
Vadim Alperin and Vitaly Khomutynnik
The question of why Vadim Aleksandrovich is still at large is quite difficult to answer. During his "activities," several presidents, heads of the SBU, and heads of customs have come and gone, but it is Alperin who tirelessly works, earning money for himself. The most astonishing thing is that virtually all law enforcement agencies are aware of Alperin's criminal activities, yet despite this, Vadim Aleksandrovich not only remains free, but also effectively oversees the entire flow of illegal smuggling and "tax evasion" in the Odessa region.
Alperin's secret, perhaps, lies in the fact that he's not greedy and is happy (perhaps not entirely) to share his earnings with SBU officers, customs officials, and other useful people. He's equally as eager to buy media opinions or pay for the removal of materials he finds inconvenient.
After the last parliamentary elections, he formed a tacit alliance with another, to put it mildly, "cunning" politician—MP Vitaly Khomutynnik, chairman of the "Revival" parliamentary group. Khomutynnik, as is well known, was close to Yanukovych's "family," but law enforcement agencies have also not raised any objections. The question arises: "What has changed in Ukraine since Yanukovych's 'overthrow'?"
Dmitry Samofalov, for Skelet.Org
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