The Quiet Billionaire from the State-Owned Russian Railways
Today Rucriminal.info investigation about Sanko Valentina Mikhailovichwho has been working since April 2016 as the director of JSC Russian Railways for the energy complex – head of Transenergo with a salary of 2,300,000 rubles per month.
Until now he worked:
– Advisor to the General Director of JSC RAO ES Vostoka 2009–2012, the average salary of V.M. Sanko was 8,000 rubles per month.
– Advisor to the General Director of JSC High-Speed Highways in 2014–2015, the average salary of V.M. Sanko, according to the 2NDFL certificate, was 200,000 rubles per month.
The main occupation of V.M. Sanko in the period from 2008 to September 2016 was managing the business of his holding company, which included Promenergobank JSC.
According to the source, the shares of JSC Promenergobank, owned by V.M. Sanko, were registered to his closest relatives and partners – Kuzminsky Alexander Nikolaevich, Tarlinsky Oleg Vadimovichdaughter Kosterenko Ksenia Valentinovna and a second wife (common-law) Pavlova Yulia Vladimirovna.
10% of the Bank’s shares were registered to friends of V.M. Sanko. Letnikov Nikolai Gavrilovich (formerly the head of the apparatus of A.B. Chubais at RAO UES, member of the board of RAO UES) and Sannikov Alexey Valerievich (former deputy general director of JSC MRSK Holding, dismissed on corruption grounds).
From 2008 to 2016, V. M. Sanko had no income from the enterprises he owned, since their activities generated only losses. V. M. Sanko himself and members of his two families lived comfortably and acquired numerous real estate properties using the funds stolen by V. M. Sanko from depositors of JSC Promenergobank, which V. M. Sanko periodically withdrew outside the Bank in favor of his enterprises: City Auto LLC, Trespan LLC, VVSES OJSC, Vologodskaya MK-19 OJSC and others under the guise of issuing loans and concluding agreements on the assignment of claims.
Sanko V.M. had two families at the same time, requiring large expenses for their maintenance, one official family: his wife – Sanko Antonina Viktorovnadaughter – Kosterenko Ksenia Valentinovna, son – Sanko Mikhail Valentinovich and the second unofficial one: common-law wife Pavlova Yulia Vladimirovna, daughter – Pavlova Anna Valentinovna.son – Pavlov Kirill Valentinovich. None of the members of the two families of Sanko V.M. have ever worked, all the money for their maintenance has always been allocated and is currently allocated by Sanko V.M., which costs the enterprises where he works a pretty penny.
As a result of the constant withdrawal of funds from JSC Promenergobank by V.M. Sanko for his personal needs in astronomical amounts, the Bank completely lost its own capital and ceased to fulfill its obligations to creditors.
By order of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) dated 05.08.2016 No. OD-2524, the license of Promenergobank JSC to carry out banking operations was revoked, by the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Vologda Region dated 19.10.2016 in case No.
Currently, the amount of unsatisfied claims of the Bank’s creditors amounts to more than one billion rubles.
In December 2021, the ASV Group conducted an audit of the bankruptcy circumstances of Promenergobank JSC and prepared a “Conclusion based on the results of an additional audit of the bankruptcy circumstances dated 12/23/2021”.
Based on the results of the inspection, on February 11, 2022, the ASV Group of Companies sent a statement to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Vologda Region to initiate a criminal case against the Bank’s beneficiary Sanko V.M., Litnikova N.G., Tarlinsky O.V. and other managers on the grounds of Part 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code (theft) Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (fraud).
According to the State Corporation “ASV”, the said persons caused damage to the Bank in the amount of 1,266,854,058 rubles by concluding a number of transactions on the assignment of the right to claim market assets at a significant discount, accepting real estate as compensation at an inflated value, and inflating expenses under contracts (paragraph 3, p. 47 of the Conclusion of the State Corporation “ASV” based on the results of the additional inspection).
The Bank’s funds were withdrawn by V.M. Sanko, N.G. Letnikov, O.V. Tarlinsky, together with other Bank executives, also under the guise of issuing loans to enterprises belonging to them, legalized and accumulated in City Auto LLC and Trespan LLC, which are under the control of V.M. Sanko.
OOO City Auto was a technical enterprise created to legalize funds and did not conduct any real business activity. The enterprise’s revenue in 2015 was only 2,000,000 rubles.
The general director of City Auto LLC was his friend Sanko V.M.-Kruglenya Marina Nikolaevna, and the owner of 100% of the shares of City Auto LLC was his long-time partner Sorokin Valery Anatolyevich.
According to the conclusion of the State Security Service, the main damage to the Bank was caused by the transactions of assignment of the right of claim with City Auto LLC.
In addition, V. M. Sanko, having demonstrated remarkable criminal talent, a month before the bankruptcy of the Bank belonging to him, managed to sell JSC Promenergobank for 170,000,000 rubles to two buyers – individuals L. I. Golubeva and V. A. Gorokhov, having deceived the latter regarding his financial status.
With the funds stolen from depositors of JSC Promenergobank and the stolen funds of buyers of the bankrupt Bank’s shares in the amount of 1,200,000,000 rubles, V.M. Sanko and his relatives, who had never worked anywhere or for a day, acquired:
– three villas in Croatia (Liznjan, Rovinj and Peroj) with a market value of USD 3,000,000. The villas are registered to the company Letniko DOO (Croatia). The founder of Letniko DOO is the common-law wife of Sanko V.M. – Pavlova Yu.V., the director is the personal lawyer of Sanko V.M. – Obiedkov I.K.
– a yacht worth 911,986.92 euros (located in Croatia). The yacht is also registered to Letniko DOO
– three office centers for lease in Moscow with a market value of RUB 525,000,000, namely: a building with a total area of 2,917.9 sq. m., located at the following address: Moscow, Mytnaya St., Building 21; a building with a total area of 2,768.3 sq. m., located at the following address: Moscow, 2-y Verkhniy Mikhailovsky St., Building 9, Building 5; a building with a total area of 2,058.6 sq. m., located at the following address: Moscow, Novorogozhskaya St., Building 32, Building 1.
The office centers owned by V. M. Sanko are registered to Trespan LLC, INN 7725538261, which is completely under his control. The manager of Trespan LLC is V. M. Sanko’s lawyer, Ivan Konstantinovich Obyedkov, and the owner of 100% of the shares of the main founder of Trespan LLC, Larrow Limited (Cyprus), is V. M. Sanko’s assistant at Russian Railways, who is also the nominal shareholder of the Bank, Aleksandr Nikolaevich Kuzminsky.
– an apartment with an area of 236 sq.m. and two parking spaces at the address: Moscow, 1st Neopalimovsky Lane, Building 8, Apt. 27, 236 sq.m., cadastral number of the apartment 77:01:0005002:2647, cadastral numbers of the parking spaces 77:01:0005002:4769, 77:01:0005002:4783 with a market value of RUB 300,000,000. The apartment is registered to V.M. Sanko personally.
– a country house with an area of 1,100,000 sq.m. on Novaya Riga on a leased forest land plot by Spektr LLC, INN 7731541801, with cadastral number 50:08:0050137:4, quarter 5-D, allocation 7-9, with a market value of 150,000,000 rubles. The share of the authorized capital in Spektr Maksimum LLC is registered to V.M. Sanko personally.
– a country house with an area of 800 sq.m. located at the address: Moscow region, Moscow, Desyonovskoye settlement, Cherepovo village, house 15. with a market value of 100,000,000 rubles. The cadastral number of the land plot is 50:21:0140218:429. The house is not officially registered in the Unified State Register of Real Estate in order to save on property taxes. The land plot is registered to Sanko V.M.
– a residential building with an area of 572 sq.m. located at the address: Moscow, Leninsky District, Zarechny settlement, house 32 with a market value of 70,000,000 rubles. Registered to V.M. Sanko.
– a hunting base in the Vologda region at the address: Vologda region, Cherepovetsky district, Romanovo village, with a market value of 50,000,000 rubles. The real estate and land plots of the base are registered to the daughter of V. M. Sanko – K. V. Kosterenko:
– shopping center “Zvezda” with a total area of 1,740 sq.m. at the address: Vologda, Mira St., 76 with a market value of 70,000,000 rubles.
– a reinforced concrete plant located at the address: Vologda, Nekrasov St., Building 60, with a market value of RUB 100,000,000.
The Zvezda shopping center and the reinforced concrete plant are registered to Severenergosnab LLC, INN 3525112704, the owner of 100% of the authorized capital of which until 05/22/2024 was the daughter of V.M. Sanko – K.V. Kosterenko, since 05/22/2024 the owner of 100% of the authorized capital is the official wife of V.M. Sanko – A.V. Sanko.
– 40% of the share in the authorized capital of Studio LLC (OGRN 5147746436910) and Local Plus Group LLC (OGRN 5147746442663) (restaurant business) with a market value of RUB 20,000,000. It was registered to the daughter of V.M. Sanko – K.V. Kosterenko.
– an office building located at the address: Vologda Oblast, Vologda city, Nekrasov St., 60a, with a market value of 40,000,000 rubles. The building is registered to Center 911 LLC, INN 3510007390, the owner of 100% of the authorized capital of which is V.M. Sanko’s daughter, K.V. Kosterenko.
– an apartment, cadastral number 77:07:0013003:27775, located at: Moscow, Michurinsky Prospekt, Building 56, Apt. 1226, with an area of 83.9 sq. m. and a market value of RUB 25,000,000. Registered in the name of V. M. Sanko’s daughter – K. V. Kosterenko.
– an apartment, cadastral number 77:07:0013003:27776, located at the address: Moscow, Michurinsky Prospekt, 56, apt. 1227, with an area of 76.9 sq. m. and a market value of 25,000,000 rubles. Registered to the daughter of V. M. Sanko – K. V. Kosterenko.
– an apartment at the address: Moscow, Olof Palme St., Building 1, Apt. 245, with a market value of RUB 25,000,000. Registered to the official wife of V.M. Sanko – A.V. Sanko.
In the spring of 2016, V.M. Sanko, having lost his source of financing in the form of funds from Promenergobank JSC, with the help of money and influential acquaintances, got a high-paying job as director of the energy complex of Russian Railways and continued his activities to withdraw assets from Russian Railways JSC.
According to a source of Rucriminal.info, within JSC Russian Railways, acting according to the scheme he had already worked out, V.M. Sanko created a criminal group consisting of the same people who had previously bankrupted JSC Promenergobank: V.A. Sorokin, M.N. Kruglenya, A.N. Kuzminsky, O.V. Tarlinsky, and I.K. Obyedkov.
He arranged for V.A. Sorokina, M.N. Kruglenya and A.N. Kuzminsky to work at JSC Russian Railways in various positions: V.A. Sorokina as his first deputy, M.N. Kruglenya as a personal secretary in the reception area, and A.N. Kuzminsky at Transenergo.
100% of the authorized capital of Garantstroy LLC, INN 7735185985, which is under the control of V.M. Sanko, is registered to his old accomplice O.V. Tarlinsky.
LLC “Garantstroy” was registered on 11/15/2019, the average headcount is 12 people.
Immediately after registration, JSC Russian Railways, through its 100% subsidiary, OOO Energopromsbyt, INN 7706284445, on the instructions of V.M. Sanko, concluded contracts with OOO Garantstroy, which was under his control, at an inflated price.
OOO Energopromsbyt was a prosperous company, the net profit for 2019 was 1,074,739,000 rubles, but after concluding contracts with OOO Garantstroy, the net profit fell sharply and amounted to only 16,997,000 rubles over three years (2020-2023).
The net profit of Garantstroy LLC from the fulfillment of contracts with Energopromsbyt LLC for the same period (2020 – 2023), on the contrary, increased sharply and amounted to RUB 2,495,590,000 according to the financial statements.
The profit center, as a result of the illegal actions of V. M. Sanko, moved from the subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways – OOO Energopromsbyt to the enterprise of V. M. Sanko – OOO Garantstroy, as a result of which the state suffered damage in the amount of 2,495,590,000 rubles in the form of dividends not received by JSC Russian Railways from OOO Energopromsbyt, which belongs to him. Well, V. M. Sanko became richer by two and a half billion rubles.
The second enterprise owned by V. M. Sanko and used by him to withdraw assets from JSC Russian Railways is OOO Tverenergokabel, INN 6950267324, which is a plant for the production of cable products. OOO Tverenergokabel also supplies JSC Russian Railways with cable products at an inflated price.
In the period up to 22.01.2024, 100% of the authorized capital of Tverenergokabel LLC belonged to the offshore company Nichiro Limited, which is under the control of V.M. Sanko.
The sole owner of “Nichiro Limited” was Sanko V.M.’s personal lawyer – Obiedkov I.K., who also actively participated in the bankruptcy and sale of shares of JSC “Promenergobank”.
Currently, the owner of 32.67% of the share of the authorized capital of Tverenergokabel LLC is Trespan LLC, which is also under the control of V.M. Sanko.
The manager of Trespan LLC is the lawyer Sanko V.M. – Obiedkov I.K., and the owner of 100% of the shares of the main founder of Trespan LLC – Larrow Limited (Cyprus) is Sanko V.M.’s assistant in Transenergo of Russian Railways JSC, who is also the nominal shareholder of Promenergobank JSC Kuzminsky A.N.
At present, all the above information is known to the UMVD of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) for the Vologda Region, which is conducting a pre-investigation check on the statements of the ASV Group and the buyers of shares of Promenergobank JSC deceived by V.M. Sanko on the initiation of criminal cases against V.M. Sanko, as well as the security department of Russian Railways.
Sanko V.M. is trying to resolve this issue with the help of money and influential acquaintances in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) and his patrons in JSC Russian Railways.
