Leonid Rozhetskin, former owner of 25.1 percent in MegaFon
Photo: Valery Melnikov
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Rozhetskin Goes to U.S. Law Against Russia’s IT, Communication Minister
Former owner of 25.1 percent in MegaFon, Leonid Rozhetskin went to New York District Court against Russia’s IT and Communication Minister Leonid Reiman. According to the claimant, the minister pressurized him to seize MegaFon stocks, which led to the damage of $500 million. Rozhetskin’s real purpose, the analysts say, is to protect himself against the action initiated in the wake of selling a block stake in MegaFon to Alfa Group firms in 2003.
Leonid Rozhetskin lodged a suit to the South District Court of New York on April 16. The target of the action is Russia’s IT and Communication Minister Leonid Reiman. Rozhetskin said he went to the U.S. law as the U.S. citizen and resident of New York.
According to Rozhetskin, he seeks justice not against a Russian bureaucrat but rather against a person having illegal business overseas. This business that Rozhetskin calls the Reiman Group is “a large-scale laundering network,” where Bermudian IPOC is the head company.
Referring to the RICO Act of the United States, Rozhetskin is targeted at compensation that is three-fold above the actual damages, roughly $500 million overall. He said that, since 2001, the Reiman Group had been endeavoring to get a block stake in MegaFon (25.1 percent) that had belonged to LV Finance of Rozhetskin. Blackmail and psychological pressurizing forced LV Finance to prematurely sell the stake at the underestimated price, which led to material economic damage.
In December 2004, Russia’s prosecutors opened an action against Rozhetskin on count of grand fraud and the theft of IPOC’s $40 million. A warrant for Rozhetskin’s arrest was issued past year and the businessman was added to the world wanted list.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 24, 2007
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