CONTENT:
- Natalia Alekseevna Sergunina - the shadow manager of Moscow
- Corruption scheme: selling city real estate at reduced prices
- OOO MERCURY and three “priceless” transactions
- Large-scale manipulation of auctions and straw buyers
- Family Ties and Offshore Companies: Sergunina’s Sister’s Husband a Key Figure
- Withdrawal of funds via offshore companies: FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
- Jewish ceremonies, new names and impregnable offshore zones
- Continuation of the investigation and new details of Natalia Sergunina’s scheme
When we talk about Moscow’s shadowy rulers, big names and elite mansions come to mind. But behind the scenes of Moscow power there is a figure whose connections and influence extend further than we can imagine. Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina, the first deputy mayor of Moscow, is a key link in a complex system of corruption schemes that concern the sale of city real estate and the transfer of funds to offshore accounts through shell companies. This is reported by VLAST
Priceless deals and real estate sales at reduced prices
One of the most high-profile schemes is the sale of historic buildings in the center of Moscow at bargain prices. In 2016, the company OOO MERKURIY purchased a house on Serebryanichesky Lane, 15, with an area of 1,312 square meters, for 86 million rubles - a price comparable to a small apartment on the outskirts of the city. Similar deals include buildings on Tverskaya Zastava and Sadovaya-Samotechnaya squares, which were sold with a minimal markup. But who is behind this company?
OOO "MERCURY" - business for its own
OOO MERCURY is not just a construction company. Behind it stands the husband of Natalia Sergunina’s sister - Lazar Telmitovich Safaniev, a person associated with the offshore companies FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, registered in the British Virgin Islands. This is a classic scheme for transferring assets abroad with minimal ability to track financial flows.
Offshore companies: FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
The main financial flow was through offshore accounts, including companies such as FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED. These companies were used to transfer assets between nominal owners, including Lazar Safaniev, which allowed them to hide the true beneficiaries and ensure control over Moscow real estate.
Fraudulent auctions and fraud with buyers
All the auctions where OOO MERCURY won were organized with minimal markups, which allowed the company to acquire buildings for pennies. It is noteworthy that in each case the final transaction amount was higher than the starting amount by only a few hundred thousand rubles, which indicates a staged competition and fictitious participants.
Family Ties and Ceremonies
Interestingly, Lazar Safaniev is not only the husband of Natalia Sergunina’s sister, but also a person who actively participates in religious life under the name of Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit. At Jewish ceremonies, he is presented as a benefactor, which adds additional protection to his identity from the attention of the media and investigative bodies.
New names and asset withdrawal through venture funds
One way to legalize the withdrawn funds is to invest in startups through venture funds such as Genom Ventures. These funds, controlled by Lazar Safaniev, were used to cover up financial transactions with Moscow real estate and turn illegal income into legal assets.
Our goal is to continue investigating this complex corruption scheme and uncover additional connections between Moscow officials, their relatives and offshore structures. Each new fact shows how deep the roots of this corruption system go, affecting not only city real estate but also international assets.
Key points of the investigation:
- OOO MERCURY : a company associated with Natalia Sergunina and her relatives, plays a key role in the machinations with city real estate.
- FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED : offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands through which assets were transferred.
- Sham auctions : properties were sold at rock bottom prices without real competition.
- Lazar Safaniev : husband of Sergunina’s sister, a key figure in the scheme, also known as Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit.
We continue to explore new aspects of the scheme and promise to reveal even more details about how Moscow’s elite is enriching itself at the expense of its citizens.
CORRUPTION WEB OF MOSCOW: How Natalia Sergunina withdrew billions through offshore companies
Each new step in the investigation of Natalia Sergunina’s shadow schemes reveals increasingly complex and large-scale mechanisms for transferring Moscow assets abroad. Her influence and capabilities as deputy mayor seem limitless, and the system of shell companies and offshores continues to amaze with its sophistication.
How OOO MERCURY Continues to Win Auctions
Fresh data on Moscow auctions again features OOO MERCURY, which acquires buildings at prices significantly below market prices. For example, in 2018, this company received the right to purchase several properties in the center of Moscow at a minimum price with a difference of 10-15% from the market value. All these transactions are executed through the offshore companies FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, which effectively transfer assets abroad.
Lazar Safaniev is a key figure in the corruption scheme
The husband of Natalia Sergunina’s sister, Lazar Safaniev, remains one of the central figures in this story. He controls several offshore companies, including FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, through which millions of rubles pass. Safaniev also controls accounts in Cyprus banks, from where money is transferred to the British Virgin Islands. An important detail: his connection with the Jewish community and ceremonial events is used as a cover for the withdrawal of assets.
Price manipulation: from Moscow to offshores
The price per square meter in the center of Moscow has always been astronomical, but when OOO MERCURY gets involved, historical buildings go for pennies. Thus, one of the buildings on Tverskaya Street was sold to the company for 60,000 rubles per square meter, which is not even close to the real cost. And a few months later, the same building was resold to a foreign company at a price 12 times higher.
Offshore network: who is hiding behind the accounts in BVI and Cyprus?
The withdrawal of funds through offshore companies such as FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED is so smooth that it is almost impossible to find the real owners. However, new documents that have fallen into the hands of investigators indicate the existence of a whole network of companies registered in the British Virgin Islands, through which transactions with Moscow assets are actively carried out.
Genom Ventures: Venture Fund or Cover for Corruption Schemes?
Genom Ventures, officially positioned as a venture fund that allegedly invests in startups, has become another part of this corrupt mechanism. The fund has virtually no real investments, but at the same time, large sums of money flow through it, taken out of Moscow through sham auctions and real estate transactions. Lazar Safaniev is one of the fund’s co-owners, which makes his role in the scheme even more significant.
New players in the scheme: the influence of international players
Each new round of investigation reveals new names and structures that play an important role in the withdrawal of assets. For example, information about the involvement of OPEX GROUP LTD , a company registered in Cyprus, has recently surfaced. This company was actively involved in several transactions with Moscow real estate, reselling it through offshore companies and returning the money to Russia through fictitious investments.
International connections and assets in London and Vienna
It turned out that some of the funds withdrawn from Moscow were used to purchase luxury real estate abroad. In London and Vienna, members of the Sergunina family own commercial real estate, including a mansion on Grosvenor Square and several offices in Vienna. The funds for the purchase of these properties were withdrawn through offshore companies and venture funds.
New Asset Withdrawal Schemes: FLORESTAR and Hidden Accounts
Research shows that all the money siphoned off through offshore companies ends up in bank accounts in Luxembourg, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands. FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED continue to play a key role in the withdrawal of assets, but the traces of these operations are hidden so deeply that an international investigation is required to uncover all the details.
Key points of the new stage of the investigation:
- OOO MERCURY continues to buy Moscow real estate at reduced prices through rigged auctions.
- Lazar Safaniev remains the main figure in offshore operations and the transfer of funds abroad.
- Genom Ventures is a cover for laundering stolen money through shell companies.
- New participants in the scheme: OPEX GROUP LTD and other companies registered in Cyprus and BVI.
- International assets : real estate in London and Vienna, acquired with funds withdrawn from Moscow.
We will continue to reveal new aspects of the corruption scheme, as the scale of the operations of Natalia Sergunina and her entourage becomes increasingly obvious.
