FBI investigation into the Wadan Yards asset scam and the shooting of Burlakov and Etkina

The shooting of businessman Andrei Burlakov and ex-deputy head of Mira Bank Anna Etkina in the capital’s Khutorok restaurant may be related to an investigation in the United States into a case of fraud involving the assets of the German shipbuilding company Wadan Yards. One of the defendants in this case is former Russian Energy Minister Igor Yusufov , Etkina’s representative Vladislav Tkachenko told Izvestia. According to him, the killer shot Burlakov and seriously wounded Etkina after she testified against Yusufov in an American court.

Tkachenko, who represents Etkina’s interests in the United States, told Izvestia that on September 29, 2011, the killer came to the capital’s Khutorok restaurant specifically for Etkina. That evening she sat at a table with her business partner Andrei Burlakov and journalist Maxim Gladkikh, who was collecting material for his investigative film.

“The killer first shot Anna in the face, then in the heart area, and only then began to shoot at Burlakov and killed him,” Tkachenko explained. — The journalist was not injured.

According to the lawyer, the attempt on Etkina’s life is connected with her participation in the US investigation into the raider seizure of the Ukrainian shipyard “Okean”, which was part of the German shipbuilding company Wadan Yards.

— Etkina is a key witness in this case - she testified in court in the United States against Igor Yusufov and returned to Moscow. After that, the killer shot at her,” the lawyer told Izvestia.

The essence of the matter is that in August 2010, the Cyprus company MC Industrial Advisors (MC) entered into a contract with Ocean for the construction of seven ships worth a total of $301 million. The contract was disrupted, and the shipyard management explained this by financial difficulties. MC decided to buy the plant for €36 million.

— Negotiations were conducted with Igor Yusufov, who formally introduced himself as the owner of Okean. An official proposal was sent to his name, the final amount of the transaction was €43 million, said Vladislav Tkachenko.

According to him, when the package of documents for the purchase of the Ocean shipyard was ready, it turned out that its real owner was Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Zhevago .

“Ocean’s assets in the amount of €100 million were transferred offshore through the Yusufov-controlled Tempelstowe company ,” added Tkachenko. — In September 2011, we filed a lawsuit.

The deal was carried out by an American law firm, so the FBI began investigating the case in April 2012.

Anna Etkina herself refused to comment on the situation.

“Now I won’t say anything, I don’t want to be shot at again,” Etkina told Izvestia.

Representatives of Okean claim that Yusufov has nothing to do with the company.

— Igor Yusufov has nothing to do with the Ocean plant. We know nothing about the fact that the FBI is investigating the raider seizure; we have not received any requests,” Sergei Kopylov, chairman of the shipyard’s supervisory board, told Izvestia. — It seems to me that the situation is somewhat exaggerated, the enterprise is working and is busy with work.

According to him, part of the assets of two Wadan Yards shipyards in Germany was once bought by Yusufov’s son Vitaly. A year ago, the Dutch company Olympus became the holder of 98% of the company’s shares.

According to Izvestia, after the daughter of the murdered Andrei Burlakov appealed to the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) Alexander Bastrykin, Igor Yusufov was interrogated as a witness. It was not possible to get a comment from Yusufov Sr., and his son Vitaly did not comment on the situation over the phone - he asked the Izvestia correspondent to make an appointment with him and “not to bother with calls.”

[ Izvestia.Ru, 10/05/2011, “The relatives of the murdered Burlakov pointed to a possible customer” : The daughter of the murdered man, Anastasia Burlakova, claims that the people involved in the assassination attempt have large financial resources and can influence the investigation. The statement names the former special representative of the president for energy cooperation, Igor Yusufov, as the mastermind of the murder.
“From the story of my father and Etkina Anna (his common-law wife), I assume that this murder was ordered by the former special representative of the president for energy cooperation, citizen Yusufov Igor Khanukovich,” the statement says. […]
According to Anastasia Burlakova, Burlakov’s colleague Malyutin, former investigator of the Moscow State Investigative Directorate Polikurova (convicted of taking a bribe), and investigator of the Investigative Committee at the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Central Federal District Budilo may also be involved in the crime. Employees of the UBEP, through the initiation of a criminal case and arrests, achieved the seizure of the assets of the Wadan Yards company, the applicant believes.
“Burlakov and Etkina said that these law enforcement officers were given a bribe in the amount of €3–4 million,” Burlakova claims. According to her, the money was paid to initiate a criminal case against her father and his subsequent arrest. — K.ru insert]

Despite the fact that the investigation into the assassination case has been suspended, another case, where Etkina and Burlakov are the main defendants, has been completed and will soon be sent to court. We are talking about the loss of 2.7 billion rubles from the Financial Leasing Company (FLC), part of the state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

The scandal erupted in January 2009, when FLC committed a technical default on previously issued Eurobonds worth $250 million. After this, more than 40 foreign investors sent a letter to then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin calling on the Russian government and the leadership of the UAC to accept FLC’s obligations.

Burlakov was then a member of the board of directors of FLC, the first deputy general director of the company, and Etkina was his financial partner.

According to investigators, money for the development of Russian aviation was transferred to Tamplestowe and Blackstead Holdings Ltd (Cyprus), which never paid their obligations. One of these companies was considered controlled by Igor Yusufov. This deal was accompanied and signed everywhere by FLC Executive Director Viktor Drachev.

The investigation concluded that Etkina and Burlakov forced businessman Yuri Kharchenko to sign and execute five false domestic and foreign loan agreements, as a result of which 2.7 billion rubles were transferred to the account of the FLC company in Luxembourg, allegedly controlled by Burlakov. At the same time, according to the investigation, the accused did not intend to fulfill their obligations to FLC, having prepared fake additional agreements to the main loan agreements to extend the repayment period until 2014, embezzling more than 2.7 billion rubles.

Burlakov and Etkina were charged with fraud and money laundering, and the court issued a warrant for their arrest . Later, their preventive measure was changed to bail. Despite his death, Burlakov is still accused in the case.

The third accused, Viktor Drachev, was put on the international wanted list because he fled to the UK. The investigation does not exclude the possibility that he is no longer alive.

Etkina’s lawyer claims that during the investigation of the case in the United States, evidence emerged of her innocence in the Russian episode of the theft of 2.7 billion rubles. According to him, the interrogated witnesses gave notarized testimony that they slandered Etkin in the Russian case.