Basmanny Court Freezes Bashneft Shares As Part Of Airapetian Inquiry

BASMANNY COURT FREEZES BASHNEFT SHARES AS PART OF AIRAPETIAN INQUIRY

Interfax, Russia
July 17 2014

MOSCOW. July 17

Moscow’s Basmanny Court has put a freeze on a share holding of the oil
company Bashneft as part of a misspending and money laundering inquiry
against Armenian public figure and businessman Levon Airapetian.

“The court has imposed arrest on the Bashneft share holding at
investigators’ request,” court spokeswoman Anna Fadeyeva told Interfax
on Thursday.

She could not give the exact amount of frozen assets, adding that
the freeze is part of the inquiry against Airapetian.

On Thursday the Kommersant newspaper said federal security officers
arrested businessman Airapetian at Domodedovo Airport on July 15 on
suspicion of misspending and legalization of criminal proceeds.

“The reason for the arrest of one of the richest and most influential
and representatives of the Armenian diaspora in Russia was the
evidence given to the Russian investigators by a former Federation
Council member Igor Izmestyev from Bashkortostan, who is serving a
life sentence for a series of very grave crimes,” the paper said.

According to the ex-senator, Airapetian was ostensibly involved in
the April 2009 sale of Bashneft by Ural Rakhimov, who had led the
company for three years, to Sistema.

“As you know, by paying $2 billion Sistema increased its stake in six
Bashkir fuel and energy companies: Bashneft, Ufaneftekhim, Novoil,
Ufaorgsintez, Ufa oil refinery and Bashkirnefteprodukt – to a majority
one,” the paper said.

Law enforcement officers told Airapetian that he is suspected of
misspending and legalization of criminal proceeds, according to the
Kommersant newspaper.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress