The Sodbusiness Bank clients were not able to make the heads of Central Bank to listen to them.
Photo: Alexey Kudenko
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Bank Crisis Hits the Streets Again
// Clients of Sodbusiness Bank held a protest rally
Yesterday clients of Sodbusiness Bank, which lost its license to the Central Bank (CB) last May held a rally next to the CB office on Neglinnaya Street. The protestors accused the Central Bank and the temporary administration of Sodbusiness Bank with intentionally withholding clients’ deposits. The Sodbusiness Bank customers are threatening to ask the general prosecutor’s office to bring charges against Sergei Ignatiev, chairman of the Central Bank and temporary administration of Sodbusiness Bank.
The rally was organized by the Association of Sodbusiness Bank Clients. It was created after the Bank’s License was pulled out by CB last May for money laundering and financing organizations suspected of terrorism. This event was the first in the history of the Russian banking system. After that, the Arbitration Court of Moscow announced the bank’s bankruptcy.
The rally gathered many more people than was anticipated by Central District authorities of Moscow that issued official permission to gather no more than 30 people for the rally. The permission for only 30 people was given to prevent a possible traffic jam on Neglinnaya Street. However, according to militsia (police) about 150 disgruntled clients showed up. The organizers of the demonstration said it was about 300 rally participants. The protestors were able to stay on the sidewalk. The demonstrators held signs “Central Bank Bureaucrats to Criminal Court!” “Ignatiev (head of the CB-Kommersant) Out for Robbery!”
The big turn out for the demonstration can be explained. Dmitry Slinko, one of the rally organizers, said that the leaders of Association of Sodbusiness Bank’s Clients found the data with all the bank’s client’s information. “We called to everybody who still didn’t get their deposits back,” said Slinko, “and a majority agreed to come. However, mostly retired pensioners were able to show up in the middle of the work day.” And that is true. The majority of the demonstrators were elderly people, but their mood was quite radical. While the demonstrators were waiting for the organizers to show up, some made proposals to block Neglinnaya Street or the Central Bank entrance. “Let’s storm the Central Bank,” loudly suggested one of the retirees. But the leaders of the Association and its chairman Valery Kuznetsov (former colonel of Federal Agency of Communication—part of FSB) showed up and calmed down the situation. Kuznetsov said that they [CB and militsia] are just waiting for some provocation from us.” He asked the demonstrators to be calm and to listen to him. The bank clients started to listen. Kuznetsov was saying that the main blame for not returning deposits in Sodbusinessbank is laying on the Central Bank, the head of temporary administration Kirill Tikionov and the Bank’s liquidator, Andrei Belkov. “Because of these people from 2.3 billion rubles that the bank owes us, we got only 1.4 billion!” said Kuznetsov, and people applaused loudly.
The demonstrators unanimously adopted an appeal to the head of the Central Bank as was proposed by Kuznetsov. In the letter, clients demanded to sell all bank assets, return all the credits, which were taken from the bank before its liquidation. Also, demonstrators insisted that the Association should take control over the Liquidation Commission. The letter was immediately given to the Central Bank. After that, Kuznetsov said, “Ignatiev will not answer us, of course. For the last months, we lost all trust in any government authorities. For that reason, I have to warn. From legal measures we are quite ready to move to forceful ones!”
Slinko explained to Kommersant after the meeting that under the forceful measures, bank clients understand the demand from the general prosecutor’s office to bring criminal charges against Ignatiev, Tikhonov and Belkov. “We already have written an official appeal and we will send it to the General Prosecutor Ustinov if Ignatiev will contine to ignore us,” said Slinko, though he didn’t precise what articles of Criminal Code the bank clients meant.
After the demonstration in front of the Central Bank, the people dispersed. Slinko announced that the Association plans to have another rally closer to May 1 on Gorbatiy Bridge, next to the government office. “The mood of our people is to fight. They want to rally again,” stated Slinko.
The Central Bank press service refused to comment.
Oleg Kashin
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 01, 2005
|
|
|
