News

The Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia, in cooperation with the Federal Security Service Sverdlovsk Regional Directorate that carried out operational support, has concluded the investigation of the criminal case against the heads of the banking institution Plato-Bank LLC and other individuals. Depending on the involvement of each, they are charged with offences committed by the organized criminal group under Part 4 of Article 160, Article 196, Paragraphs A and B of Part 4 of Article 174.1, and Article 172.1 of the Criminal Code of Russia (embezzlement on a large scale committed by a group of people; premeditated bankruptcy; legalization (laundering) of funds acquired by a person in an illegal way on a large scale committed by a group of people; forgery of bookkeeping and accounting financial documents of a financial organization).

To remind, the probe was launched upon materials provided by the Central Bank of Russia, which revealed pieces of evidence of premeditated bankruptcy.

According to the investigators, in 2013-2015, Chairman of the Board of the bank Andrey Lazarev, Acting Chairman of the Board of the bank Yelena Yaroslavtseva, Head of the Internal Control Department of the bank Valentina Vikulova, as well as Gaynetdinova M., brought into the criminal activities by Lazarev, acting as an organized group, had embezzled the money of the bank exceeding 1.2 billion rubles by illegal administration of 64 credits to legal entities controlled by Lazarev, which had had the signs of shell companies and had not intended to discharge their obligations.

Subsequently, the embezzled funds had been legalized through financial operations and other deals to the said amount. Thus, they had committed actions, which admittedly resulted in the inability of the bank to meet the creditors’ financial demands in full, revoking bank’s license, and declaring the bank bankrupt. In 2014-2015, in order to conceal the previously committed crimes, Yaroslavtseva had forged bank reports concerning the capacity of the bank to meet its liabilities and had provided it to the Bank of Russia.

During the preliminary investigation, to ensure execution of the court decisions on pecuniary penalties, that is a fine provided for by the Articles, the investigators arrested vehicles, real estate objects, accounts, and shares of the authorized capitals of legal entities, belonging to the defendants.

The investigation gathered enough evidence; therefore, the criminal case with the approved indictment was sent to the court to be tried on the merits.