На русском языке:
Кто из беларусов упоминался в офшорных утечках «Панамского архива» и где они сейчас?
На беларускай мове:
Хто з беларусаў згадваўся ў афшорных уцечках «Панамскага архіва» і дзе яны зараз?
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published the Pandora Papers, which refer to the involvement of a number of world leaders in offshore schemes.
Map from ICIJ website
138 companies from the list are associated with citizens of Belarus, and in total there are more than 27,000 firms and organizations in the database. All this data was obtained through 14 companies hired by wealthy clients to create offshore companies in tax jurisdictions: Panama, Dubai, Monaco, Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.
In total, journalists received 11,900,000 confidential documents.
Information on what kind of companies they are and who is associated with them will be published within a few weeks. And today we have analyzed which of the Belarusians appeared in the previous offshore databases leaks — the high-profile publication of the Panama Papers in 2016.
Belarusians in the Panama Papers – who are they?
According to ICIJ, earlier, 76 Belarusians appeared in the offshore leaks, but not all their names could be identified. Instead of names, there is still the inscription «THE BEARER» in the list of unidentified persons.
Based on the available data, we compiled a list of Belarusian businessmen whose names appeared in the Panama Papers then, and now we tell what happened to them and where they are now.
And also, there is another interesting point: in 2016, journalists did not pay attention to some of those who now bear the title of pro-government businessmen, and some of them are already under EU and US sanctions.
- Sergey Tkachuk (shareholder of Saxemem Services Limited)
One of the most successful businessmen of Belarus, as at 2021, holds the 19th position in the list of the publication Yezhednevik.
Sergey Tkachuk, the owner of Mostra-group / Photo: mostra.by
He is the owner of Mostra Group, which develops the Burger King fast food chain in Belarus. Tkachuk also owns a chain of stores Dobronom, Kopeyechka, Wine & Spirits.
In addition, Sergey Tkachuk is also a co-founder and former co-owner of the Rublevsky chain of stores. In 2019-2020, he invested the resources received from the sale of Rublevsky stores in new directions: he bought the alcohol and distribution business of Belvingroup and Garcia, including the Syabry vodka factory in the Gomel district. At the end of 2019, the country’s largest network of veterinary pharmacies and pet stores ZOObazar, uniting more than 100 outlets throughout Belarus, became a new object of attention for Sergey Tkachuk.
- Valery Bashmanov (shareholder of Alpha Members Ltd.)
Belarusian businessman from Grodno, who at the time was among the top 200 most successful and influential businessmen of Belarus.
Valery Bashmanov / Photo: ej.by
Together with his partner, he founded the company LBR-Agromarket and created the largest federal network for the promotion of Belarusian agricultural machinery in Russia, which had subsidiaries in 24 regions of the Russian Federation. In 2015, the company entered the top 10 importers in the Smolensk region of the Russian Federation.
Valery Bashmanov passed away in 2018.
- Igor Tcherny (the Director of 3 companies from the list)
In the Panama Papers, he is mentioned in connection with 3 companies at once: Norcross industrial, Norcross Alliance, Normington Ventures.
Igor Tcherny in the top-200 list of the Yezhednevnik publication in 2013
Tcherny himself is the main shareholder of the Izobud Group of Companies. In 2013, he held the 103rd position in the top-200 Belarusian businessmen. One of the company’s facilities was the Korona building on Kalvariyskaya Street in Minsk.
In 2015, his enterprises started having trouble, Izostroy did not work for several months, and employees were massively dismissed. After the publication of the archive, Tcherny was bankrupted, a lawsuit was filed against the company Izobudpromstroy for recognition as economically insolvent.
- Dmitry Aerov and Vadim Velichko
Both businessmen are associated with the offshore company Ost Investments. They were co-founders of the Latvian Baltimex Trading and as at 2016, co-owners of the company Profitsystem, which processed small-scale timber in Berezino, Ivatsevichi and Pleshchenitsa.
After that, it produced various popular products on the European market — palisades, playgrounds, fences, roll fences, materials for the garden and vegetable garden, pellets.
Back in 2011, Vadim Velichko held the 170th position in the list of Yezhednevnik, the Internet is silent on what happened after the publication of the archives.
- Andrey Kartsev (shareholder of Machines+Technologies)
The name and surname of the shareholder of the offshore company in the Caribbean coincides with the name and surname of the Director of Sitek Engineering Holding, which is engaged in: distribution and maintenance of Siemens equipment, overhaul and modernization of machines, integration of software for automation and production management. In addition, the company cooperates closely with BelAZ.
Andrey Kartsev / Photo: pressenter.ru
Judging by the information listed on the Sitek website, Andrey Kartsev is still the director of the company.
- Aleksandr Metla (intermediary of Interforest Corp)
Journalists repeatedly called this man a friend of Viktor Sheiman. He is the director of the charity fund for assistance to soldiers-internationalists «Memory of Afghan» and the executive director of the Stalin Line, among other things, he is also a reserve colonel.
Aleksandr Metla / Photo: STV TV channel
On August 14, 2020, Metla became the full owner of the first Belarusian private security company — the GardService company. Now he owns 100% of the company’s share, replacing the previous owner — the company Globalcustom.
His friendship with Sheiman is also evidenced by their photo of 2004, which is published on the foundation’s website. In addition, they are united by the fact that they’re both veterans of combat operations in Afghanistan.
Viktor Sheiman and Aleksandr Metal give presents to children / Photo: euroradio.fm
- Alexander Zaytsev (shareholder of Stork Alliance Holding)
Finally, there’re several businessmen left who, for some reason, were not much mentioned by the media in 2016 in connection with the publication of the Panama Papers. One of them is Alexander Zaytsev.
The fact that he is mentioned in the leaked database of 2016 can be judged by the registration address, which is indicated in the dossier — Zhdanovichi agrotown, Parkovaya str., 3B, apt. 118, which coincides with the address published by the Black Book of Belarus.
Alexander Zaytsev / Photo: Dynamo Brest (FCDB TV)
In 2021, Zaytsev was ranked 59th in the list of the publication «Yezhednevnik». Pro-government businessman, formerly being in the civil service, former assistant to Viktor Lukashenka, owner of the football club Rukh and shares of FC Dinamo-Brest. As well as the owner of the companies Sohra Group and co-owner of the company Bremino Group.
On June 21, 2021, Zaytsev came under EU sanctions. It is also important to mention that OCCRP investigators found out that in 2013, Zaytsev and Oleksin laundered more than 46 million euros through Lithuanian dummy companies.
Well, as a «cherry on top», he is also Zambia honorary consul in Belarus.
- Mikalai Varabei (shareholder of Stork Alliance Holding and Pristine trading company)
Mikalai Varabei, another prominent pro-government businessman, is attached to the above-mentioned Stork Alliance Holding, according to the Panama Papers.
Mikalai Varabei / Photo: TUT.BY
From the published data in 2016, it is known that he was also involved in the activities of the offshore company Pristine trading company, which was registered in the tax jurisdiction of Malta, and was located in a villa with a beautiful name Aurora.
In the list of «Yezhednevnik» in 2021, Mikalai Varabei soared immediately by 11 positions and took 5th position.
However, he isn’t doing so well: at the beginning of the year, Ukraine took away the oil product pipeline from the businessman, and later Varabei came under the sanctions of the United States and Switzerland.
