PRESS: Police investigating $13 mln embezzlement in Russia’s RBC

MOSCOW, May 12 (PRIME) -- The Investigative Department of Moscow’s office of the Russian police is investigating U.S. $13 million embezzlement in media holding RBC, business daily Kommersant reported Thursday citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

The investigation was initiated by the Prosecutor General’s office which started its proceedings after former shareholder of RBC Alexander Panov submitted a claim about a takeover of Bait-Telecom – where he and his partner Yaroslav Karetsky used to own 25% – by other shareholders of RBC.

RBC reorganized Bait-Telecom in 2014, changing its CEO and transferring the ownership of the asset to company Drok, registered in the republic of Tatarstan, which could be a ghost firm, Panov said.

Panov also said in his claim to prosecutors that another asset Garant-Park-Telecom, domain name registrar, was made bankrupt by unknown people. He said that he saw a raid on the Fund for Technologies and Infrastructure Development, which he chairs, orchestrated by RBC Security Department head Alexander Zhgut.

Several sources told Kommersant earlier that Russian security services have been paying much attention to RBC due to both its criticism of the state policies in media outlets belonging to the holding and a planned sale of the holding.

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