Platon Lebedev where the family lives now. Platon Lebedev was released

The biography of Platon Lebedev is extremely complex and is associated with one of the most difficult periods in our country - the 90s. Most of the photos and videos of this man began to emerge from the courtroom as Platon Leonidovich was not a public person at the time of his success. The latest news from Lebedev can also hardly be called happy, and in general they do not affect the details of his personal life.

Platon Lebedev's parents are not known to the general public. The businessman prefers not to talk about his childhood and youth. The father and mother of the billionaire never gave public interviews and did not come to the attention of the media. It is known that Lebedev was born in Moscow, 23 minutes earlier than his twin brother Viktor.

Education

After graduating from school, Plato enters the Moscow Institute of National Economy named after G.V. Plekhanov (now the Russian University of Economics). Despite a different name during the Soviet period, training in this institution was aimed at graduating specialists in the economic and commercial sectors. Platon Leonidovich completed his studies in 1981, becoming a certified specialist.

Career and business of Platon Lebedev

The beginning of the career of a major businessman was laid immediately after graduation - after the distribution, he ended up in the Zarubezhgeologiya association, where he continued to work in his specialty for 8 years. In 1987, Platon met the infamous Mikhail Khodorkovsky. In 1989, Lebedev ceased cooperation with Zarubezhgeologiya and decided to open his own business.

Together with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev is developing a business plan - to open a Center for Scientific and Technical Programs for Youth. Very quickly, this enterprise is gaining strength and turning into a large structure - "MENATEP" (Intersectoral Center for Scientific and Technical Programs). By the beginning of the nineties, the company's fortune was estimated at 80 million rubles.

"MENATEP" had more than 20 areas of activity, but the main source of income was financial fraud - state-owned companies cashed out money through interaction with the organization. Very soon the idea of ​​such an enterprise became contagious, and hundreds of followers of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev appeared in the cities of Russia.

In 1991, when MENATEP acquired sufficient capital, it was transformed into a bank. In the new enterprise, Platon Lebedev became a co-founder and owned about 7.5% of the shares. Thanks to many frauds with the funds of depositors, the bank began to have huge capital, which its owners invested in commodity companies as a promising direction.

In 1996, the bank managed to control more than 90% of the shares of the Yukos oil company. After the default in 1998, depositors lost their funds, because. Lebedev and Khodorkovsky prudently transferred all assets to other companies, including Yukos. The bank was declared bankrupt.

Since 1998, a global reform of Yukos has been carried out, the purpose of which was the formation of subsidiaries engaged in various activities within the oil industry. By 2003, thanks to the transfer of all subsidiaries to one share, the total value of Yukos increased significantly.

In the same 2003, Lebedev's partner, billionaire Khodorkovsky, began to conduct active social and political activities. Due to his active desire to participate in the political life of the country, the affairs of the Yukos company became the subject of close scrutiny by law enforcement agencies.

In July 2003, billionaire Lebedev was arrested along with his colleague Khodorkovsky. He was charged with embezzlement of shares, but later the charges were supplemented with tax evasion, forgery of documents and embezzlement of other people's property. In May 2005, the trial in this case ended, Platon Lebedev was sentenced to 9 years. Later, the defense succeeded in reducing the sentence to 8 years.

The international human rights organization Amnesty International recognized Lebedev as a prisoner of conscience. This conclusion was made on the basis of the lack of sufficient evidence of the guilt of the owners of Yukos and the obvious political background of the case.

Platon Lebedev served 10.5 years in a penal colony. In January 2014, by decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Lebedev was released with the right to partial rehabilitation, and an obligation was imposed on him to recover 17 billion rubles. After his release, he expressed his intention to return to business again.

Platon Lebedev's fortune

After 10.5 years in prison, Lebedev severely deteriorated his health (the defense announced the need for treatment even at the time of his arrest). His first intention after his release was treatment. Platon Leonidovich cannot leave Russia because of the debt imposed on him, so it is difficult for him to engage in international business.

Platon Lebedev lives in a small private estate in the Moscow region, where his wife lives. The amount of real estate that he owns is not known exactly how and how much Lebedev earns now. However, Forbes estimates the fortune of Platon Leonidovich at $500 million. For comparison, in 2003, according to the same publication, Lebedev's capital was about $15 billion.

Private life of Platon Lebedev

The first time Lebedev married in 1977 was a woman named Natalya. She bore Plato two children - a daughter, Lyudmila, and a son, Mikhail. During the conclusion, Plato divorces and marries again - to his current wife, Maria Cheplagina. The newly created family had two children - daughters Maria and Daria.

The husband of Lyudmila Lebedeva, Plato's daughter from his first marriage, also acquired a scandalous biography detail: he was arrested for illegal financial fraud and contacts with criminal authorities.

One of the granddaughters of Platon Lebedev, Diana, became known to the media due to a tragic accident: on November 24, 2016, she had a car accident during a trip to Geneva. Diana and her companion flew off the bridge in a car and drowned in the lake. The businessman's granddaughter was only 19 years old. Judging by the photo on the girl’s social networks, she belonged to the “golden youth”, and many blame her own carelessness for the tragedy.

Platon Lebedev today

The fate and personal life of Lebedev now remains hidden from the public. This may be partly due to the loss of interest in the Yukos case. The latest news about him and his family was dated 2016, after which the mentions on news sites ceased. It is not known for sure whether he still lives in Russia or immigrated to another country.

Photos and videos with Platon Lebedev are a rarity. He made his last public statements only after his release from custody in 2014. From them it is clear that he hopes to revive his career as a businessman from the ashes. Perhaps Lebedev's biography will soon be replenished with new successful projects.

Origin

Education
In 1981 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of National Economy. Plekhanov.

Family status
Married, has three children

The main stages of the biography

In 1989, he headed the department of economic planning in the department of foreign trade at the USSR Ministry of Geology.
Since 1990 - in Bank MENATEP, held the positions of Head of the Foreign Exchange Department, Head of the Main Foreign Exchange Department (1992-1993), President of the Bank (1993-1995).
As president of the bank in the early 1990s, he conducted a number of financial transactions in Switzerland and other offshore zones.
Since December 1995, he has been Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of ROSPROM.
From February 1997 - Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Management Company ROSPROM-YUKOS.
In February 1998, he became vice president of the oil company Yuksi for refining, marketing and petrochemistry.
In 2003, Platon Lebedev entered the list of the richest people, which is compiled annually by Forbes magazine, at number 427.
On July 2, 2003, Lebedev, general director of the Menatep group, which owns a controlling stake in Yukos, was taken into custody, and the next day the court authorized his arrest.
Lebedev is suspected of stealing in 1994 a 20% stake in OAO Apatit, owned by the state, in the amount of $283,142,000.

Third party ratings, characteristics

According to lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky, “everyone knows that Lebedev is a net shareholder of the company. The article under which he is accused comes with confiscation of property. Confiscation, of course, in favor of the state. He will get cars, apartments, Lebedev's dachas. And most importantly - Yukos shares. This is the main danger for Lebedev. And everything else - whether they will be sentenced to two hundred years or two years probation - is difficult to predict. ("Newspaper", 2003)

Perhaps Lebedev has something to answer for. But many see the hand of the Kremlin in what is happening. When Putin came to power in 2000, he made a tacit agreement with the oligarchs: the government would turn a blind eye to all previous violations of the law, provided that the oligarchs behaved impeccably. This meant abandoning the dubious deals that were typical of the early and mid-90s. Moreover, from Putin's point of view, this meant agreeing to stay out of politics - and this is where Khodorkovsky appears to have stepped outside the limiting line. (Journal Kommersant-Vlast, 2003)

Lebedev's arrest is a blow to the head of Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who not so long ago completed a major deal to buy Sibneft and announced his intention to "go into politics" by 2008. This is a signal to many. "The figure of Platon Lebedev was chosen absolutely unmistakably. He is actually the financier of the main shareholders of Yukos - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Brudno and others," a source close to Yukos told Gazeta. In his opinion, from a legal point of view, the case has no prospects - the statute of limitations for privatization transactions expires in six months, and it will take much more time to sort out a long chain of offshore companies. Andrey Ryabov, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment, believes that Lebedev's arrest is a "pre-election message" to large companies "to show great calmness in terms of political activity." "Today's main topic - the fight against corruption - is moving from the field of law enforcement agencies to the field of large companies. First of all, they take on those players from whom surprises can be expected. As for the real consequences of the detention of Platon Lebedev, one should not worry about his fate. For Recently, not a single case of this kind has been completed," says Ryabov. ("Newspaper", 2003)

Since the conclusion of Platon Lebedev in the Lefortovo SIZO, no one, except for representatives of law enforcement agencies, has seen him. Investigators denied Lebedev's lawyers a meeting with their client on the pretext that there was allegedly not a single free office where one could conduct an interrogation in Lefortovo. Independent experts claim that the actions of the investigators are nothing but "a flagrant violation of the law." In an interview with an NG correspondent, lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said: “No one has the right to forbid a lawyer to meet with his client. This is a gross violation of the law, which gives a lawyer the right to communicate with his client at any time. only a pre-trial detention center is open to the public, no technical issues should affect the implementation of the defense. ("Nezavisimaya Gazeta", 2003)

Lebedev is one of the closest associates of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who worked hand in hand with him throughout the years of building the Yukos group. He holds the posts of President of the Menatep Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of CJSC MFO (Interbank Financial Association) Menatep. The group is owned by former and current managers of Yukos, MFO is its subsidiary and owns 61 percent of the shares of Yukos itself. At the same time, Mr. Lebedev personally owns 7 percent of the shares of the Menatep group, which corresponds to 4.25 percent of Yukos shares - this package is worth about $1.3 billion. According to sources close to Yukos, Mr. Lebedev has deliberately remained a non-public figure all these years and did not interfere in operational activities, but was always responsible for managing the shares of partners and for the financial condition of the group as a whole. (“Courier Nord-Vest”, Murmansk, 2003)

In his only known interview a few months ago, Platon Lebedev, speaking about the political and business system in Russia, said: "The trend seen in connection with the kidnapping of the leaders and relatives of the leaders of Lukoil and Slavneft is very disturbing. Some have already become thoughtful. Who wants to risk the lives of your loved ones?" ("News Time", 2003)

About the arrest of Lebedev

Mikhail Khodorkovsky Chairman of the Board of Oil Company Yukos "In terms of the nature of the actions, this is very similar to what we have read lately about the 'werewolves in uniform' who blackmailed small businesses." (“Petroleum Information Agency” 02.07.2003)

Boris Nemtsov is the leader of the Union of Right Forces. “I believe that this is a political matter, despite the fact that Platon Lebedev was not involved in politics. Lebedev's arrest is the government's revenge for Yukos's attempts to actively participate in the country's political life. "Platon Lebedev poses no threat to society and must be released on bail." “The preventive measure applied against Lebedev is absolutely excessive,” Nemtsov stressed. According to the SPS leader, the pressure exerted by the authorities on business "is too costly for the Russian economy." (RBC, 07/03/2003)

Grigory Yavlinsky "This is useless and harmful from the point of view of the Russian economy. The use of the events of 1994 at the request of a State Duma deputy indicates that this is a custom-made event in the form of a raid using law enforcement agencies. The purpose of such an action is to suppress attempts by big business to become politically independent, to force companies to be completely dependent on the authorities.From a political point of view, this step can be regarded as a purge before the elections and the suppression of political opponents during the elections.The development of events around the company will not have the best impact on the state of the investment climate and the state of affairs in the country.(RIA "News", 04.07.2003)

Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov called the arrest of Platon Lebedev an "excessive measure", inadequate to the danger that a suspect could pose if he remained at large.

The news of the arrest of Platon Lebedev became a kind of signal for the workers of Apatit, who began to urgently withdraw money from their accounts opened with the Menatep SPb bank. According to a number of political analysts, the decision to arrest Platon Lebedev and his comrades could be beneficial to the deputies of the head of the presidential administration, Igor Sechin and Viktor Ivanov. According to the Profile magazine, the motives for popular actions are still the same - power and money. (“Courier Nord-Vest”, Murmansk, 2003)

"Capital is the measure of success"

Menatep founder Platon Lebedev talks about how to dispose of $20 billion

To get to the country mansion of the MENATEP group (the main owner of Yukos), made in a strict British style, you need to drive along the Rublevsky highway with its Byzantine luxury and secrecy. The owners of the most transparent and efficient oil company, which is undoubtedly Yukos today, also had to go through a period of “initial accumulation” before moving on to corporate governance principles.

And among the shareholders of the MENATEM group, along with the democratic Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Leonid Nevzlin and Vladimir Dubov, who became public politicians, there are much less "illuminated", but no less influential figures. For example, Platon Lebedev, who, as director of the MENATEP group, manages that $20 billion (including Yukos shares and other assets) thanks to which Khodorkovsky is legally considered the richest man in Russia.

Obviously, the decision to entrust all the finances of the group to Lebedev was due to purely historical reasons. It was Lebedev who carried out the tactical management of the Menatep bank in those days when Khodorkovsky was just building his empire. Now Lebedev has a new project - the creation of a "financial supermarket" on the basis of DIB and MENATEP SPb affiliated with the group.

"Ko": What does the banking business mean for the MENATEP group?

Platon Lebedev: First of all, these are investments in one of the most promising sectors of the economy. So far, they have been quite successful for us, even despite the situation with the MENATEP bank (Moscow). We will increase and develop these investments further.

"Ko": Are you going to develop banking business only in Russia or can you acquire some foreign financial institutions?

P.L.: The banking and financial holding of the MENATEP group operates in Russia. At the first stage, we are faced with the task of its consolidation. After that, we will see what our "financial supermarket" is interested in abroad. Although in Russia there is still a lot to be done. Especially in the regions.

"Co": "MENATEP SPb" already has a fairly developed network of branches -

P.L.: In terms of the number of branches, this network is indeed quite extensive. But in order to achieve the goals set by our "financial supermarket" in every region where "MENATEP SPb" is present, it is necessary to coordinate efforts in all areas. Involving, in particular, the range of services that the Trust and Investment Bank can offer.

"Ko": Don't you think that after 1998 the brand "MENATEP" does not inspire much confidence among the population?

P.L.: If this brand did not inspire confidence, the bank "MENATEP SPb" would not have depositors.

It seems to me that since the beginning of 2000, in principle, there has been no such topic as the negative attitude of individuals towards the MENATEP brand. If we talk about the legal bankruptcy of MENATEP, then name another bankrupt bank that would have fully paid off its obligations.

"Ko": You managed to seat the leaders of "MENATEP SPb" and DIB at the negotiating table. And these banks competed with each other after 1998, including for the right to service Yukos ...

PL: They are controlled by the same group of shareholders. And, which is also important, they served approximately the same group of enterprises. There were, of course, elements of competition. But, no matter how they compete with each other, each of them has a natural specialization. It is connected not with emotions, but with pragmatics. Anyone who focuses on the development of a branch network is doomed to engage in commercial and retail banking. Those who concentrate their efforts on servicing current corporate interests immediately specialize in investment banking and related products. Therefore, DIB never intended to develop its own branch network - for example, to become a universal bank. In the same way, the topic of turning Menatep SPb into a large universal bank was not discussed with the shareholders.

"Ko": The leaders of DIB also own about 30% of the bank's shares -

P.L.: We deliberately use this type of motivation when we negotiate with management about its participation in the capital. Because in their business culture, another additional incentive is being developed. They are co-owners. Of the bonuses that managers receive, they spend part of the money on share repurchases. Accordingly, if something happens to the capital, then it also hits their pockets. And vice versa: if the capital increases significantly, then the pocket of managers is also filled. In the long term, this makes the topic of succession less painful. In 5-10 years there will be someone to discuss this topic with. Then it may well turn out that the management will offer to buy out the controlling stake from the shareholders. Why not? For MENATEP, the uniqueness of the moment lies in the fact that we have a good team - in terms of mentality, professional training, and time horizons. They really want to try to create something of their own with us. Maybe someday this business will really pass into their hands. There is, after all, another problem. Considering the competition that exists in the world market and the fact that Russia is gradually integrating into the world economy, it is difficult to say which of the domestic banking businessmen will eventually remain here. There is a very high chance that after some time they will all work for Citibank or some other similar financial institution. And it is not certain that Citibank will take into account their interests. We do not negotiate with slaves. We build business with them. Based on the real opportunities that managers have. The easiest topic is money. We have no problems with money for good projects. The problem is different: it is difficult to find good managers for such projects. As for the competition or competition between the teams of DIB and Menatep SPb, the best one survives in the competition. So let them compete. What's bad about it? I need the best. To do good big business, you need to invest in people.

PZ “Making a bank only for Yukos is obvious stupidity”

"Ko": It turns out that now you, as the director of the MENATEP group, are paying the most attention to investments in the banking sector?

P.L.: I pay the most attention to the largest investments - in Yukos. The banking direction is also important, but I will not leave Yukos.

"Ko": What then are your personal interests?

PL: My personal interests are quite simple. As director of the MENATEP group, I am responsible for organizing the group's investments in all types of strategic businesses. And in Yukos, and in telecommunications, and in the Russian banking sector, and so on. This is my personal interest. In YUKOS, Khodorkovsky and I have absolutely identical interests. The success of Yukos is a return for shareholders. And the successes of DIB or MENATEP SPb are also income for shareholders.

"Ko": The MENATEP group still earns the main money on Yukos-

P.L.: We also make money on banks. There is efficiency of investments and there is the size of investments. Yukos is, of course, the leader in terms of investment and income. But we did not invest in DIB as much as in Yukos. Accordingly, in absolute terms, and income is less. But the efficiency is quite high. DIB has a semi-annual profitability of up to 50%. And in terms of net income. This is very good. You will not receive so much on a deposit in any Russian bank.

"Ko": "MENATEP SPb", apparently, is not such a successful object for investment?

P.L.: “MENATEP SPb” is also doing well. It's just that DIB is an almost complete platform, and it does not need too many capital investments for development. Because the development of an investment bank depends mainly on the correct use of brains. And in order to create a large platform for a commercial-retail bank, of course, large investments are required. With a long payback period.

"Ko": If "Gazprom" was a shareholder of DIB, he probably would not have withdrawn from his capital, as he once did with "MENATEP SPb"?

P.L.: It is not known. At one time, not even Gazprom itself, but some of its enterprises, which were supervised by Pyotr Rodionov, decided to sell their block of shares in MENATEP SPb. And MFI "MENATEP" quietly bought it.

"Ko": Don't you consider it expedient for yourself to involve such corporations as Gazprom in the capital of your banking group?

P.L.: We can handle ourselves calmly. Banks already have sufficient capital for ongoing programs. Plus, if banks need it, we can add another $200 million to them for business development within three to four years.

Ko: Is that enough?

P.L.: And they don’t need more. They still generate profit, and part of it will go to development in the same way. In the medium term, we are not going to take all the profits from banks. It makes no sense to simply make a lot of capital for the bank if it does not "win back" for the shareholders. Managers, of course, have a beautiful picture - "we have the largest capital in Russia." This is interesting for managers in terms of their positioning, rating or image. What is the interest of the shareholders?

"Ko": But with a sufficiently large capital, the bank can meet the standards in order to qualitatively and fully serve the interests of Yukos ...

PL: Not a single bank faces the task of fully serving all the interests of YUKOS. I think that there are no such banks in the world. At least for formal reasons. Yukos reserves amount to several billion live US dollars. Not a single bank will have enough ratios or ratios to take and manage only this portfolio alone. But there are also considerations of expediency and real efficiency. Yukos has diversified interests, which are served by a huge number of banking and financial institutions - both in the world and in Russia. And from the point of view of investment strategy, making a bank only for Yukos is an obvious stupidity. There is no diversification in this strategy. And if something bad happens to Yukos, it will be unclear what to do with the banks.

PZ “MENATEP was the “most authorized” bank”

"Ko": Standing up for the civilized rules of the game and the civilized market of financial services, you unwittingly contribute to the more active expansion of Western banks, complicating the competitive environment for your own financial institutions-

P.L.: From the point of view of understanding how to manage strategic investments in Russia, the period of trial and error has already ended for foreigners. Everyone is looking for Russian partners. They realized that the success of Russian investments is ensured through the creation of reasonable alliances, partnerships, and so on. And the future price of this partnership, if the process is “civilized”, will be many times more expensive. In a competitive environment, a business has a value that cannot be compared with the starting one. Why should everything be sold only at face value of that “chip” called a share? Everyone in the world thinks differently. After all, the most important thing for a bank is the trust of the client. Unlike a bank, Yukos, for example, doesn't give a damn about trust. He has all the "trust" in the land, in oil reserves. And in the export pipe. Therefore, enterprises like Yukos in the Russian economy will always be more stable than the banking system. They are less prone to crises. Their reserves and reserves will not disappear anywhere. In addition, the leadership of the Central Bank still does not want to be responsible for the development of the banking system.

"Ko": Even the current leadership?

P.L.: Let's put it this way: some statements, speeches and phrases of the current leaders of the Central Bank, probably suit the banking community. Although I do not know what is really behind these words. But in general, both Gerashchenko and Dubinin also very often said the right things. Until the Central Bank gets rid of all its "increments", it will never be the real Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

"Ko": The process seems to have begun. It seems that the Central Bank got rid of one “growth” in the person of Vneshtorgbank ...

P.L.: Let's see how it ends. I do not think that our country needs the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation in the form in which it exists. Savings banks, of course, are needed - that's no question. But it is clear what the situation will lead to when Sberbank is mercilessly used by the government, which in return allows the management of Sberbank, to put it mildly, to “play pranks”. If Sberbank is a state-owned bank, then many things should simply be banned. But it cannot be commercial and at the same time enjoy state support. How can one bring a bank to the stock market in the presence of state guarantees? Who are we deceiving? Imagine the reaction of shareholders if state guarantees are canceled tomorrow. What will be left of Sberbank if the "freebie" ends?

"Ko": But after the crisis, Sberbank took over the functions of almost the only creditor of the Russian economy?

P.L.: After all, after the crisis, politicians shouted: “All the money goes to Sberbank!” Do you know that the transfer of part of the depositors of MENATEP Bank (Moscow) to Sberbank was issued under MENATEP bills? These bills were immediately “redeemed” to Sberbank by the Central Bank under a special decision. And Sberbank immediately received its money. Further, the Central Bank with these bills came to MENATEP. It turns out that he helped Sberbank, and tried to get money from MENATEP, which, in theory, should also be helped.

"Ko": Didn't MENATEP himself ask Sberbank to start acting as an agency to pay off debts to depositors?

P.L.: I paid money to the Central Bank. Why was it necessary to artificially help Sberbank? If the Central Bank helps only him, and not other banks, then take away the whole problem entirely. In general, after all, not a single bank had problems with ruble depositors. Most banks had "physicists" mainly with foreign currency accounts. There were no fools in Russia to open ruble deposits in banks.

"Co": Private banks promised fairly high rates on foreign currency deposits-

P.L.: Normal rates for that situation. The question is: who is responsible for the course? How can a bank return 25 rubles in three months if it took 6 rubles?

"Ko": Were you warned that the support of the "currency corridor" with the help of the GKO system would sooner or later lead to a crisis?

P.L.: Who are the government and the Central Bank?! If the money was not stolen, everything would be fine. After all, no one has found out which of our officials played and received windfall profits on GKOs.

"Co": Yuri Skuratov, being the Prosecutor General, it seems that he called some names -

P.L.: Has anyone been imprisoned? In any crisis, someone always profits. And sometimes crises are created in order to profit.

"Ko": Did MENATEP seem to have a pretty good relationship with the Ministry of Finance?

P.L.: What more! Under me, MENATEP was the "most authorized" bank in Russia - in everything for which it was only possible to obtain "authorization". And what, it was unprofitable for the Ministry of Finance?

"Ko": It can be said that MENATEP also profited from the budget crisis of 1995, when the Ministry of Finance placed deposits in a bank, and then MENATEP, participating in a loans-for-shares auction, bought YUKOS-

P.L.: But MENATEP settled accounts with the Ministry of Finance. MENATEP served a significant part of the accounts of the Federal Treasury. And the tax office too. In general, he proposed at his own expense a unique program for collecting all foreign exchange taxes and accumulated them for all regional tax inspectorates. No other bank, nor the Federal Treasury, had a working operating system at the time to do this. The federal budget accounts were in MENATEP in 1994, and in 1995, and in 1996. Not in this case. In 1994, MENATEP earned over a billion. There would be enough not only for Yukos. I very much regret that the idea of ​​creating a pivotal federal reserve system, similar to the American one, so that the "correct" Russian banks would be responsible for the Federation's reserves, could not be realized. Then they would turn over and place budgetary resources through correspondent accounts. How much did the Ministry of Finance receive from the Central Bank in foreign currency accounts? Zero whole, zero tenths. And in MENATEP - LIBOR - "plus / minus" depending on the term. Why was it unprofitable for the Ministry of Finance?

"Ko": MENATEP sent this money to the GKO market, lending to the state with its own money.

P.L.: Buying government bonds is a normal, civilized banking business. All Fed banks do this. The question is who are they doing it for? MENATEP has never had a big position of its own on GKOs.

"Ko": Maybe MENATEP was his "authorization" and ruined it?

PL: MENATEP was ruined by the exchange rate and the loss of confidence on the part of depositors. Because the $275 million of liabilities to individuals that the bank had on August 17, 1998, was unrealistic to win back in the Russian economy, especially when the exchange rate was 6 rubles/dollar at first, and then 25 rubles/dollar. Now Yukos is worth billions of dollars, and then, when its shares were the highlight of the assets of the bank MENATEP, it was almost zero. The market value of securities in Russia depends on the correct and civilized policy of the government and the Central Bank. Why is it difficult to qualify the managerial talent of Kasyanov and Ignatiev? Obviously, they were lucky: the favorable situation in the last two or three years gave them the opportunity to have such a budget and such macro indicators. And to ensure a supply of reserves for the next few years, and to be more “civilized” in all markets, including both external and domestic debt. I will not answer the question of what would have happened in a different macroeconomic situation. And who would then be in our government, and who would once again be the head of the Central Bank-

"Ko": There is also a political situation. In 2003 - parliamentary elections, in 2004 - presidential.

P.L.: This is also a painful topic. It is not known what is "more expensive" - ​​to service the external debt or to hold elections in our country. I don't know what more money is spent on.

"Ko": Is there now any guarantee - apart from the reserves of the Central Bank - from a repetition of the situation that was in 1998?

P.L.: There is no guarantee against the unreasonableness of our politicians. But if you are afraid of all the risks, then doing big business and dealing with issues of economic development in Russia is practically useless. Tell me, what kind of business can you do with the "horizon" per day or per month? Almost everything will come down to having time to steal something in a limited period of time.

PZ “I don’t have “insurance” from the government”

"Ko": It turns out that it is impossible to create an absolutely reliable bank in Russia?

P.L.: I have no “insurance” from the government of the Russian Federation. I have no guarantee that if another stupidity is committed, I will be covered for all losses. Most likely it will be the other way around. Until we have an "economic" - in a good sense of the word - government, we will always be guaranteed unprofessionalism. And for the government to become "economic", "economic" managers must appear. There should be a natural exchange of elites - as in the West, when the merger of the political and business elites is in the nature of constant recruiting. Why is there no such brazen corruption in the US as in Russia? Because there are no poor high-level officials. They come to government posts after others. And in such a state of the budget, as we have, corruption will certainly flourish. Because the officials themselves come up with an excuse: “I get 100 rubles, and you get $100. Share."

"Ko": There is a conflict not only between the political and business elites, but also a conflict within the elites themselves. Between the old, Yeltsin's elite and the new - Putin's -

P.L.: Conflicts of interest have been, are and will be always and everywhere. But business competition can be “civilized” and “uncivilized” depending on the political component that provokes business to choose one or another “uncivilized” game rules. It depends on how the business develops. With the help of corruption and the use of law enforcement agencies to solve their own business problems or due to the competition of minds, talents and abilities. If we simplify the topic down to personalities, then Putin is the guarantor of the current state of business (taking into account all its pluses and minuses) for the near future. If political observers write correctly, this is the horizon until 2008. So, in this perspective, there is someone to help. But that doesn't mean you have to agree with everything. Businessmen do both right and wrong things. In the same way, Putin until 2008 is doomed to do both right and wrong things. But if the interaction between government and business becomes more "civilized", it will be better. Because it gives basic guarantees to the business. This means that there will be no redistribution of property using administrative and other resources. From the point of view of those who are engaged in "civilized" business, this is a plus. Another question is what will happen after 2008. Maybe it will get worse than now. And then - you can not jump over the steps.

For example, in the issue of transparency, one must take into account how corrupt our state system is. How much is the tax secret? Not everyone is able to defend themselves in this life. The trend seen in connection with the abductions of the leaders and relatives of the leaders of Lukoil and Slavneft is very disturbing. Some have already thought about it. Who wants to risk the lives of their loved ones?

When a certain threshold is reached, what is called “capital” no longer corresponds to the purely lumpen understanding of a “bag of money”. This is an unrecoverable part of the business. This is a fund for future generations that can be transferred, given to children, comrades-in-arms, but it is no longer possible to use it only for yourself. This is the measure of success.

Kompaniya magazine, Moscow, December 2002.

On January 23, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation reduced the term of criminal punishment for the former head of "Menatep" Platon Lebedev to the already served and decided to release him from the colony.

Lebedev will be released as soon as the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Court comes to the colony in Velsk, where he served his sentence.

What was Platon Lebedev accused of?

Platon Lebedev, former chairman of the Board of Directors of CJSC MFO Menatep, was detained on July 2, 2003 on suspicion of embezzling 20% ​​of the state-owned shares of Murmansk OJSC Apatit in the amount of $283.1 million.

According to investigators, Lebedev was a member of an organization headed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. During the privatization, the defendants seized the shares of state-owned enterprises by fraudulent means. The criminal cases of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were merged into one.

Sergei Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

According to the first Yukos case, in 2005 the court found Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev guilty of fraud, tax evasion and other economic crimes and sentenced each of them to nine years in prison. Subsequently, the Moscow City Court reduced this period to eight years.

On February 5, 2007, new charges were brought against Khodorkovsky and Lebedev. They were charged with stealing shares of subsidiaries of OAO Eastern Oil Company. In addition, according to the investigation, in 1998-2004, Lebedev and Khodorkovsky participated in the theft of oil from OJSC Samaraneftegaz, OJSC Yuganskneftegaz and OJSC Tomskneft.

The Investigative Committee filed charges for the theft of almost 350 million tons of oil, as well as the laundering of 487 billion rubles and 7.5 billion dollars.

Taking into account the first sentence, according to which they received eight years in prison, and the time spent in custody, their sentence expired in 2017.

In December of the same year, the case was reviewed by the Presidium of the Moscow City Court, which reduced the sentence to 13 and 11 years, respectively.

The defense of Platon Lebedev repeatedly applied for parole, but it was not until 2013 that the sentence was reduced. Then the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation reduced the term of imprisonment to 10 years and 10 months for Lebedev and Khodorkovsky.

Conclusion and illness

In 2011, Platon Lebedev was sent to serve his sentence in colony number 14 in the city of Velsk in the Arkhangelsk region.

During his stay in the pre-trial detention center, Platon Lebedev's condition deteriorated noticeably. His hypertension worsened, and his eyesight is constantly deteriorating.

Yukos case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)

On September 20, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) partially recognized the actions of the Russian tax authorities in relation to the Yukos oil company as a violation of its right to protect property.

At the same time, the ECtHR did not see any political background in the court proceedings.

Private bussiness

Platon Leonidovich Lebedev (60 years old) was born in Moscow. In 1981 he graduated from the Plekhanov Moscow Institute of National Economy (now the Russian University of Economics, Pleshka).

From 1981 to 1989, he worked at the Association for Geological Exploration Abroad (Zarubezhgeologiya), headed the department of economic planning.

In 1987, he met Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Komsomol activist and student at Pleshka, and together with him and Khodorkovsky's comrade-in-arms in Komsomol work, Leonid Nevzlin, organized the state-cooperative Commercial Innovation Bank of Scientific and Technological Progress. In 1990, the bank bought out a share from the state and was renamed MENATEP ("Intersectoral Scientific and Technical Programs"). Khodorkovsky became chairman of the board of MENATEP, and Lebedev was president of the bank from 1991 to 1995.

In 1994-1995, the bank actively bought up shares of large industrial enterprises - JSC Apatit, Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers, JSC AVISMA, Volzhsky Pipe Plant and others.

In December 1995, as a result of a loans-for-shares auction, 45% of the shares of the state oil company Yukos came under the control of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. By February 1997, Khodorkovsky, through the financial group MENATEP, had bought the remaining Yukos shares.

Lebedev in 1996-1999 was deputy chairman of the board of an oil company, and from 1997 to 1999 he was also president of Yukos Refining and Marketing (a division of Yukos for oil refining and marketing of petroleum products).

In addition, Lebedev headed the board of directors of the MENATEP group and was the manager of the shares of the parent company Yukos.

In February 2003, the first open conflict took place between President Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Khodorkovsky. When Khodorkovsky announced corruption in the country, equal to 10-12% of GDP, Putin reminded the owner of Yukos about the not-so-clean course of the company's privatization.

In April of the same year, Khodorkovsky announced that he was ready to finance a united political bloc based on the SPS and Yabloko. The businessman supported these parties in the 1999 parliamentary elections. At the same time, he sponsored candidates from other parties - the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Unity and Fatherland - All Russia.

On July 2, 2003, Lebedev was detained on charges of stealing 20% ​​of the shares of Apatit OJSC. Khodorkovsky was involved in the case as a witness.

A few days later, the Prosecutor General's Office began checking on a deputy's request that Yukos underpaid taxes in 2002. On October 25, Khodorkovsky was detained.

His case was merged with that of Khodorkovsky. In May 2005, both were found guilty of several counts of tax evasion and fraud and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. In September 2005, the Moscow City Court reduced their sentence to eight years.

In 2009, a new trial began against Lebedev and Khodorkovsky, who were accused of embezzling shares of Yukos subsidiaries and stealing and legalizing millions of tons of oil from subsidiaries. In December 2010, the court sentenced everyone to 14 years in prison, including the time served in the first case. Subsequently, the Moscow City Court reduced the sentence for each to 11 years.

In December 2013, Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky, thereby reducing his sentence by six months.

In January 2014, the Presidium of the Supreme Court reduced Platon Lebedev's sentence by five months, to the time actually served.

Upon his release, Lebedev announced that he would do business.

What is famous

An associate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who together with him managed the Menatep group and Yukos. Served in prison for 10.5 years on the first and second "YUKOS cases" - charges of embezzlement, tax evasion, legalization of the stolen.

What you need to know

On January 23, 2014, the Presidium of the Supreme Court released Lebedev, but recognized as legal the verdict of the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow on the recovery of more than 17 billion rubles from Khodorkovsky and Lebedev in the first "YUKOS case" - the court estimated the tax arrears in 1999-2000 at this amount. Because of this, Lebedev, as a debtor, cannot travel abroad, and Khodorkovsky cannot enter the country with a guarantee that he will have the right to leave it. At the same time, the ECHR ruled back in 2013 that Russian law did not allow the court to “impose civil liability for taxes unpaid by the company on the company’s managers.”

Direct speech

On the international passport (Lebedev's press conference in February 2015, quoted by Openrussia.org): “Unfortunately, the Russian Federation has not yet implemented the decision of the European Court, which declared the false claim for 17 billion illegal. There is no debt, but there is a lawsuit, such a ridiculous situation. Because of this, they do not give me a passport.

If I get a passport, my hands will be untied for my work. I am going to be engaged, as before, in international business, including those related to the Russian Federation. I believe that my age allows for a few more years of active business activities.

On the opposition (ibid.): “As for the opposition, for me personally, this is a very difficult issue. Like any citizen of the Russian Federation, I calmly admit the existence of the opposition; it's very good, I think. But you yourself try to answer the questions that I ask myself: what kind of government does the opposition have? Who is the prime minister? Who is the Minister of Defense? Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? Who is the head of the FSB? Who is the chairman of the Central Bank? Who is the finance minister? As soon as I get to know these people, find out what they want to do, at least something pragmatic will come for me to evaluate whether I like them or not.”

On the main brake on the development of the country (Golos-ameriki.ru, February 2015): “The most difficult problem now, in my opinion, is supermonopoly, that is, the lack of competition, and everywhere. This can be seen in politics, economics, culture, science, education, medicine - in a word, all around. Another danger is imposed on this disease. Namely, the prospect of starting to implement this monopoly (here I use a figure of speech) with the help of "power and pistols." This is when neither know-how nor business work, and in one form or another only "power or pistols" work. Yes, with the help of these tools, the goals pursued are sometimes achieved. But it is destructive to all life, in general, to put it broadly.”

On the pressure on business in Russia (ibid.): “There is no private property in Russia. Who is this secret for? It is on a piece of paper, and they can take it away at any time under any pretext. Moreover, the rule of law does not prevail in our country - the protection of the institution of private property as such. Whoever thinks for the owner, starting with the investigating authorities. Hence - a huge number of criminal cases on business ...

In addition, we have a lot of things that exist "under the guise" of something - I don't know what other term to choose here. For example, state corporations or state companies quietly exist under the guise of joint-stock companies. Or here a person is dressed in a robe, called a judge, that is, everything seems to be correct in form, but in essence it is not.

It's the same with businessmen. Talk to them. What are they afraid of? Claim your rights, which are clearly spelled out in the Constitution. Because as soon as they do this, all sorts of trouble will immediately fall on them. And people, instead of doing business, begin to get out. Now, after all, the main task for business is to survive, preferably with minimal losses.”