At the end of 2017, the Central Bank announced the reorganization of Promsvyazbank. According to the rules of procedure, its owners were forced to sell the assets. Among them was the Vozrozhdenie bank, over which Suleiman Kerimov immediately wanted to gain control. However, the Central Bank has been putting obstacles to the disgraced billionaire for two months.
Who is Suleiman Kerimov
Suleiman Kerimov is an iconic figure among Russian oligarchs and a regular participant in the Forbes ranking of the richest people in the country. As of 2018, it ranks 20th with a fortune of $ 6.4 billion. He is a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, where he represents the interests of his native Dagestan. In the past he was a deputy of the Russian State Duma. Owns Makhachkala airport and shares in a number of financial companies.
In November 2017, the French authorities convicted Kerimov of tax evasion and money laundering. With the help of dummies, he tried to smuggle about 750 million euros into France. Despite this, Kerimov was not placed under arrest, as is often the case in such cases, thanks to a bail of 40 million euros. However, he was forbidden to leave France without warning. In 2018, charges were dropped against Kerimov.
Why does Kerimov need Bank Vozrozhdenie
This bank can hardly be called promising. It is part of the Promsvyazbank group. At the time of the sale, it was in 37th place in terms of capital and 36th in terms of assets. Its net profit for the last year amounted to about 3 billion rubles. These are very modest figures by banking standards. Therefore, the desire of the oligarch to receive the "Revival" seemed strange to many.
Experts explained Kerimov's interest in the long-standing obligations of the former owners of the bank to its structures. Moreover, the billionaire wanted the controlling stake to be given to him without transferring funds. In this case, everything fell into place: Kerimov tried in any way to get at least something from his debtors.
Why the Central Bank did not want to give Bank Vozrozhdenie to Kerimov
The Central Bank ordered the owners of Vozrozhdenie to resolve the issue with the sale of the bank by February 2018. Subsequently, the regulator itself postponed the terms, not giving the go-ahead for the deal. The central bank was embarrassed that Kerimov actually did not plan the purchase, but meant the transfer of the bank. According to the documents, the owners of Vozrozhdenie agreed to sell the bank to the oligarch for one ruble.
The Central Bank was also embarrassed by the fact that after the transfer of the institution to Kerimov, he wanted to sell it to another person, but for a much larger amount. As a result, the regulator obstructed the deal in every possible way. The process, which was supposed to end in early February, stretched out until the end of the month.
The negotiations lasted for several months. Kerimov repeatedly flew to Russia, where he talked about the deal with influential politicians, including Valentina Matvienko. The central bank could not find another buyer in a short time, and eventually gave up. At the head of Bank Vozrozhdenie was Kerimov's man.
