The following is a statement by OligarchWatch reporter, Viktor Pavlov:
“While Russian and Georgian soldiers were fighting in Ossetia, another battle was being waged in Moscow – against Georgian organized crime bosses. The Georgian mafia, its members known colloquially as “thieves in law” for their adherence to a strict criminal code, was first forged in Stalin’s infamous Gulags. Today, they oversee much of the organized criminal activity in the former Soviet Union and control vast amounts of cash. The “thieves” have taken over the real estate and gambling industries, and many have ties with government officials and big business.
Amid the Russian-Georgian military conflict, Moscow police have arrested several prominent Georgian crime bosses, including Tariel Oniani, one of the most influential mafiosi in Russia. Authorities in Moscow deny any connection between these arrests and the military conflict in Ossetia. As Viktor Biryukov, press secretary for the Moscow police department told a recent news conference: “There is no politics in the past and future arrests of Georgian criminal bosses.” Wary of these “future arrests,” many Georgian mafia leaders are fleeing Russia to repatriate their assets.
Russian authorities are also examining potential criminal ties among Georgian-born Russian businessmen. One of the arrested Georgian crime leaders, Pitia, confirmed that some prominent businessmen helped fund his group’s activities in Moscow. According to Pitia, one of the active supporters was Moscow-based businessman Shalva Chigirinsky, whose business interests include oil and real estate development. According to Moscow media, recent inspection showed that a company owned by Shalva Chigirinsky has $1 million tax bill outstanding. Experts predict other Georgian-born businessmen will face government inspections in the near future.”
Contacts:
Viktor Pavlov, 914-817-4767
oligigarchwatch@gmail.com
www.OligarchWatch.com
