Russian billionaire stripped of most assets
A Moscow court has upheld an anti corruption lawsuit filed by Russia’s Prosecutor General against Vadim Moshkovich, the founder of agricultural giant Rusagro, and members of his family.
The court ordered the transfer to the state of 469 million Rusagro shares held by Moshkovich, as well as shares registered under the names of his wife Natalia Bykovskaya, his nephew Sergey Tribunsky and Tribunsky’s wife Luiza Ploshchanskaya, former company CEO Maxim Basov, who held around 73 million shares, and the company PKF Profit, which owned 24 million shares. As a result, the company has effectively come under state control, News.az reports, citing Themoscowtimes.
In addition, authorities confiscated funds seized during searches at Moshkovich’s properties and accounts. These included more than 10.5 billion rubles, $1.8 million, €1.6 million, and more than 200 million yuan. Another 87 million rubles belonging to Basov and 3.7 billion rubles held in the accounts of Financial Resource LLC were also transferred to the state.
The court further handed over to the state Moshkovich’s full ownership stake in Financial Resource LLC, along with his interests in several other companies. However, prosecutors failed to secure the confiscation of a house owned by Natalia Bykovskaya in the village of Tagankovo in the Moscow region, as well as an apartment in Moscow’s Khamovniki district.
A day earlier, Moscow’s Khamovniki Court imposed a freeze on the assets of Moshkovich, Basov, and affiliated individuals as part of the prosecution’s fraud case. The court then announced that the lawsuit would be heard on its merits on May 5.
Defense lawyers accused the court of violating due process and the right to defense, arguing that they had been given less than 24 hours to review more than 105 volumes of case materials.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office estimated the value of Rusagro at more than 550 billion rubles. The agricultural holding, one of Russia’s leading food producers, reportedly generates annual gross profits exceeding 74 billion rubles and yearly revenue close to 400 billion rubles.
Reports of Moshkovich’s detention first emerged on March 26, when searches were conducted at several Rusagro offices. The following day, he was placed in pre trial detention until May 25. Several other individuals, including Basov, were also detained.
Moshkovich’s fortune is estimated at $2.9 billion. He previously served as a deputy in the Belgorod regional legislature and as a member of Russia’s Federation Council representing the Belgorod region. Since 2022, he has been under personal sanctions imposed by the European Union.
By Faig Mahmudov
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