13 March 2020

I am not surprised by yesterday’s decision of the Meshchansky Court convicting me.

The investigations in Russia have not been independent, objective, open-minded or fair, and I knew that I would not receive a fair trial on the charges resulting from these investigations. I therefore did not participate in this trial.

However, as anticipated, the trial was characterised by a series of flagrant and fundamental breaches of fairness reflecting a clear failure to even try to independently and impartially consider the allegations.  Yesterday’s decision stands in clear contrast to other decisions by non-Russian judicial and investigative bodies which considered the allegations against me. Interpol withdrew a red notice against me while other non-Russian bodies have either determined that such evidence offered by the Russian authorities was completely insufficient to ground any action, or that there is worrying evidence of political interference in the investigation against me. 

I will continue to vigorously defend all actions against me in front of courts where I am confident of a fair and impartial hearing.

Andrey Borodin

In connection with the planned reappointment of Yuri Chaika as Prosecutor General of Russia and in addition to the recently published high-profile investigation by the Anti-corruption Foundation I would like to share another interesting story from the biography of this outstanding statesman.

According to the RBC article published in August last year, in 2014 the son of Prosecutor General Igor Chaika organized a highly profitable (thanks to multibillion-rouble government contracts) business of removal and disposal of refuse in Moscow. It was not arranged from scratch. The assets and equipment of the enterprise were made by the assets of existing companies, which up to 2014 had been on the balance sheet of… Bank of Moscow. Continue reading →

I was incensed to learn about the monstrous verdict of a Russian court on two former employees of Bank of Moscow, Alla Averina and Konstantin Salnikov. That these people were found guilty of charges against them and that they were given real prison terms is another example of blatant abuse of justice and common sense that prevails in Russian legal system. I am convinced that both the investigators and the court are well aware of the political undercurrent in the case against Averina and Salnikov. Nevertheless within this drummed up case they were first sent to court as the accused, and then they have been put behind bars. Continue reading →

Commentary by Andrey Borodin: VTB people and all sorts of officials in Russia have on many occasions stated that the security on the loan to Premier Estate (which set off a series of criminal cases in the process of a raider takeover of the Bank of Moscow) fails to cover the loan (about 13 billion rubles) and is almost worthless. Now, the current cadastre evaluation of the pledged land says that it is worth some 27 billion roubles, i. e. more than twice covers the company’s debt. Continue reading →

DailyMail Online

In recent years events connected with Russia and Russian citizens have become a regular feature in the British media. Unfortunately, the frequent appearance of such headlines is not a result of strengthening of friendship and collaboration between the two states. Often these reports accompany scandalous trials in British courts, violation of human rights in the Russian Federation, and so on. For instance, today the Magnitsky Legacy round table sessions are taking place in the Parliament building in London. All this attests to the fact that the Russian justice and law-enforcement systems are in a deep crisis and leave no hope for fair decisions based on compliance with legal provisions or, at least, human rights. Continue reading →