Source: www.rucriminal.info
In the Russian business community, the name of the head of Gazprom's operator ("Gazprom LNG Technologies") Alexey Kakhidze has long been associated with large-scale financial fraud, unsuccessful projects and gray schemes. According to sources from the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel and Rucriminal.info, Kakhidze's structures and those of his accomplices are under close scrutiny by law enforcement agencies. Investigative actions are being carried out by Gazprom, Rosneft, banks, tax authorities and other government agencies. Preparations for initiating criminal cases have entered the home stretch.
One of Kakhidze's most high-profile failures was the project of Gazprom LNG Technologies LLC, created to develop small-scale production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and sales infrastructure within the country. Gazprom allocated more than 9 billion rubles to implement ambitious plans to build factories and develop a network of gas stations. Instead, the money was spent through shell companies, where the cost of work and equipment was artificially inflated. The project completely failed, and the results never appeared. According to the Cheka-OGPU, this case has been taken under special control. A criminal case may be initiated under articles related to fraud and embezzlement of budget funds. At the moment, the accounts of Gazprom SPG Technologies LLC are blocked by tax authorities. An anonymous source in the St. Petersburg tax service confirmed to us the seriousness of their intentions: if the company's debt is not repaid in the near future, the tax service plans to file for bankruptcy. The situation with the former general director of Gazprom SPG Technologies LLC, who categorically disagreed with the business methods used under Kakhidze's control, adds drama. The former top manager filed lawsuits against Kakhidze's structures, demanding the recovery of significant amounts of money that, in his opinion, were illegally withdrawn from the company. Sources claim that the disputes have reached a large scale, and the amounts are calculated in hundreds of millions of rubles.
To create demand for LNG, Alexey Kakhidze decided to develop the cargo transportation sector. For this project, he created several companies, such as OOO AK Mostrans and OOO AK MT CFO. These companies actively took out loans and purchased equipment on lease - hundreds of trucks running on liquefied gas. However, instead of a clear strategy and well-established business processes, Kakhidze acted chaotically.
At its peak, the vehicle fleet numbered more than 1,000 units of equipment. But most of the vehicles were idle and not used due to a shortage of drivers, a lack of spare parts, or breakdowns. Tens of billions of rubles were thrown to the wind, and the companies drowned in debt. The equipment was purchased through shell companies owned by Kakhidze himself, where the price of equipment and machinery was artificially inflated by two or three times. Today, OOO AK Mostrans and OOO AK MT CFO are in deep crisis. These companies have long faced serious problems with banks and leasing organizations. Leasing companies that issued funds for the purchase of equipment now understand that all assets are actually scrap purchased at inflated prices. The management of companies controlled by Kakhidze plundered and destroyed the equipment, leaving lessors and creditors with huge losses. Claims against these structures are only growing, but there is no real opportunity to return at least part of the funds. In addition, OOO AK Mostrans and OOO AK MT CFO have serious problems with the tax service. According to sources in the investigative bodies, these companies attracted the attention of the security forces due to multi-million dollar debts in taxes and social contributions. The companies' accounts have been blocked. Sources confirm that the tax authorities and investigative bodies are actively investigating the activities of these companies. The possible bankruptcy of OOO AK Mostrans and OOO AK MT CFO may only be a matter of time.
The central figure in Kakhidze's business is OOO Gefest. In fact, this is the key mechanism for withdrawing funds. The scheme of this company's work looks like a classic example of fraudulent activity.
OOO Gefest was actively financed by advances received from such giants as Gazprom and Rosneft. The money was transferred to the accounts of companies formally working on contract for these corporations, such as OOO Morskie Tekhnologii, AO Liskimontazhkonstruktsiya, OOO AK MT CFO and others. These funds were then sent to OOO Gefest, where they were used to purchase equipment and machinery abroad, primarily in China. The prices for the equipment were inflated several times, which made it possible to withdraw significant amounts through intermediary firms. Today OOO Gefest is paralyzed: the accounts are blocked, the office is seized, the management is hiding. The company has accumulated debts of several billion rubles. The tax service has filed for bankruptcy of OOO Gefest. An anonymous source of Rucriminal.info in the tax service of St. Petersburg told us that the department is determined and does not intend to retreat from its plans to liquidate this company.
Another asset of Alexey Konstantinovich Kakhidze is AO Liskimontazhkonstruktsiya, acquired in 2022. Given Kakhidze's business practices in other companies, the enterprise may face serious problems. At the same time, the plant is a key city-forming enterprise in the region, and its possible instability carries the risk of social problems.
According to sources, preparations for initiating criminal cases against Alexey Kakhidze and his accomplices are entering the home stretch. The accounts of most of Kakhidze's companies have been blocked by tax authorities, including Gefest LLC, Morskie Tekhnologii LLC, Gazprom SPG Tekhnologii LLC, AK MT CFO LLC, and AK Mostrans LLC. The tax service has filed bankruptcy petitions for a number of companies, which indicates the beginning of active actions by the state.
The scale of the thefts he committed amounts to tens of billions of rubles. This is money that could have been used to develop the country's economy, create new jobs and improve the quality of life of citizens. We call on the competent authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of all schemes related to this businessman and bring him to justice.
Arseniy Dronov
To be continued
Source: www.rucriminal.info
