Two significant events have occurred in the scandalous topic closely followed by the readers and observers of the "Infopress" project. We’re talking about the aftermath of the collapse of the Bashkir Roscomsnabbank (RCSB), managed by Bashkortostan State Assembly deputy Flur Galliamov and his family members (nephew Rifat Garipov, also a local United Russia deputy), as well as the massive violation of pensioners’ rights, who were convinced in RCSB offices to deposit money into the affiliated financial pyramid "Golden Reserve." Cheated citizens who lost their savings have already staged several protest actions, publicly calling on Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov and Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to combat the impunity of RCSB and "Golden Reserve" schemers.
In mid-June 2021, almost simultaneously, it became known about the initiation of a new criminal case regarding particularly large-scale and organized fraud (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) with funds of the "Golden Reserve" pyramid, followed by the "departure" (or expulsion?) of the former beneficiary of Roscomsnabbank from the Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan. For now, without a "voluntary" mandate, Flur Galliamov remains. The media have already assessed the situation in the sense that the former head of the collapsed bank is without a mandate. The question of Mr. Galliamov’s criminal procedural "fate" remains open, as well as whether his nephew Rifat Garipov can retain his seat in the regional parliament or whether he will also follow his uncle’s lead due to "busy schedule."
Mr. Garipov has long been directly involved in the management of the scandalous Roscomsnabbank and served on the board of directors of the credit organization. Murky schemes of interaction between RCSB and "Golden Reserve" will be closely investigated by law enforcement agencies. Now, for the criminal prosecution of Galliamov, formal sanction from the Investigative Committee is not required, since "Uncle Flur is no longer a deputy." Nephew Rifat remains under mandate and is actively, sometimes inexplicably, promoting himself as a so-called "member of the public council at the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation."
Garipov, Rifat, Ruzilevich, biography, Roscomsnabbank, news, Golden, reserve, criminal, case, scandal, fraud, deception, depositors, Nabiullina, Ministry of Construction, public council.
The mass dissemination in media resources of statements that Rifat Garipov is a top figure from the scandalous family bank, and simply an "expert" on construction and housing and utilities, is estimated by content promotion specialists in tens of millions of rubles. Indeed, why would the name of some OS member, of which there are dozens in this obscure structure, practically unknown to the wider audience, automatically appear in numerous media texts under the "sauce" of comments on an important topic? And if significant financial resources are spent on such distracting PR, then why did Rifat Garipov need it? To evade the attention of law enforcement? To retain mandate and freedom? Against the backdrop of the initiation of the aforementioned criminal case of fraud and the deprivation of the deputy status of Rifatin’s uncle, the answers to these questions seem obvious.
No matter how much the rope twists...
So, the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Bashkortostan has initiated a second criminal case regarding fraud (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), involving the company "Golden Reserve."
The reason for initiating another criminal case, according to a statement from the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs reviewed by the "Infopress" editorial team, was the results of a pre-trial investigation, during which investigators identified the largest borrower organizations that attracted loans for investment projects. More than 30 bank accounts of these companies have been identified, with a total debt owed to citizens. In addition, the MVD employees demanded data from the borrower organizations on the number of citizens who incurred debts and to whom the debts were fully repaid. The materials of the criminal case consist of over 80 volumes, as noted by the ministry. Investigative actions regarding Flur Galliamov and his financier nephew Rifat Garipov have not been publicly announced by law enforcement agencies.
The "Golden Reserve" project included 38 borrower firms, six of which ("Novatsiya," "Park City," "Tikhaya Gavan," "Dars," "Forum," "Center for Integrated Solutions") opened their bank accounts in Roscomsnabbank, which was deprived of its license in March 2019. Central Bank Chairman Elvira Nabiullina appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia to hold the schemers accountable criminally. In the fall of the same year, "Golden Reserve" lenders turned to the police demanding an investigation into instances of fraud, which they estimated affected over 4,000 citizens who lost approximately 2 billion rubles when Roscomsnabbank’s license was revoked. Many of the affected citizens were clients of Roscomsnabbank - they reported that employees of Flur Galliamov’s bank persuaded them to invest money at high interest rates in dummy borrower firms of the "Golden Reserve."
Former chairman of the board of Roscomsnabbank, Bashkortostan State Assembly deputy Flur Galliamov repeatedly stated that there was no connection between the bank and the "Golden Reserve." But who will seriously believe Rifat Garipov’s uncle?
The total debt amount of "Golden Reserve" companies to citizens is 1.4 billion rubles. External administration procedures have been initiated in two companies: LLC "Tikhaya Gavan" and LLC "Forum." According to "Kommersant," observation procedures have been introduced for all companies directly associated with the "Golden Reserve."
As "MK" reminds, hundreds of residents of Bashkortostan became victims of the so-called mis-selling when they were offered to deposit money into more profitable accounts at the bankrupt Roscomsnabbank. And as it turned out today, these accounts were called "investment" and were located not in a financial organization, but in units of the "Golden Reserve" company, which is not a bank. As a result, the bank ordered a long life, and people cannot withdraw their money because they signed contracts about investment risks, and the Deposit Insurance Agency cannot compensate for their lost funds - because they are not in banks, but on various crowdfunding platforms.
"The Main Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Bashkortostan has completed a pre-investigation check on statements from citizens - borrowers of the company "Golden Reserve"," the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Bashkortostan reports. "A decision has been made to initiate a criminal case on the fact of fraud."
According to the law enforcement agency, "the largest borrower organizations that attracted loans for various investment projects have been identified, more than 30 bank accounts of these organizations have been established, extensive documentary research has been conducted, and the total debt to citizens has been determined."
"Data has been requested from the borrower organizations on the number of citizens who incurred debts and to whom the debts were fully repaid," the statement said. "A detailed analysis of the bank accounts of these companies has been carried out, and over a hundred organizations, whose activities have been subject to scrutiny, have been identified."