In early November, ZAO «Kubanskaya marka», - the company from which the most influential group of companies in the region WKB "grew", celebrated the 25th anniversary in Krasnodar. The anniversary of the company has become a significant event for the region, as the owner of «Kubanskaya marka», WKB group, as well as the bank "Kuban Credit" is a local oligarch Viktor Budarin - shadow master of Krasnodar region.

 

From Crymsk to the port of Magadan

The one, who commands the security forces, can dictate his will in all sectors of the economy. In Krasnodar, Budarin took total control of the judicial and law enforcement unit of the region. It is not an exaggeration: local and federal officials and police officers wait for his reception, FSB generals consider it an honor to be recruited "by Budarin himself", and all of them implicitly carry out orders of the oligarch at all levels simultaneously with the regional authorities orders. The orders of the shadow owner of the region are often given even higher priority than the governor, and executed promptly and decisively. Interestingly, Viktor Budarin began his way to the top of the Kuban authorities by selling vehicles for the needs of ambulances and not just once became a defendant in criminal proceedings.

Viktor Budarin was born in 1954 in the town of Krymsk, Krasnodar Territory. What did adolescent Victor do is not known, but at the age of 16 he urgently left his native Kuban and arrived in Magadan, where his sister lived. Here he got a job of a docker in the commercial port. In 1970s, the port was the center of illegal shipment of imported clothing, equipment and other scarce goods, which cost the fabulous money in the Soviet Union. As a result, the young Victor at the young age made a good capital, but he always had troubles with the Soviet law enforcement agencies as illicit enrichment and trade were persecuted rather harshly.

In 1985, young Victor Budarin was able to return to the Krasnodar region. Though, Budarin himself describes his working career prettier now: "He graduated from Polytechnic College with a degree in" Maintenance and repair of cars". He served in the Army Corps of Engineers in Khabarovsk. After serving, he returned to Magadan, and worked as the head of heavy equipment in the construction of special equipment in the head office. "

http://nbj.ru/publs/banki-i-biznes/2008/09/09/archive-publ-15333/index.html

Primary capital: smuggling and "cut" the budget

Also in 1985, private entrepreneurship officially started in a deep underground in the Soviet Union, and Budarin had chosen its most "dainty" direction. He got a position of a procurement officer in the company "Lada Nova". Under such a beautiful name a fairly large car service in Krasnodar was hidden, which among other things provided an exclusive repair service of foreign cars with the replacement of its parts, taking into account that foreign cars were very few those days. Young Budarin could get those parts, using his wide connections and smuggling schemes in the Magadan port. In addition, cars from Japan and other capitalist countries started to arrive to the port from smuggling channels, which created very broad field of action to Budarin.

Here's how the oligarch Budarin describes this work in his autobiography: "I was invited to the post of chief of department of VAZ car repair station. It was the largest station in the south of the country; in my submission there were about five hundred mechanics. I worked there exactly five years. "

But five years later, on the border of 1990-1991, Budarin created the company «Kubanskaya marka», which has been selling foreign cars. Those foreign cars, which were smuggled to Russia through "native" to Budarin Magadan port.

In addition to the lucrative trade of foreign cars, «Kubanskaya marka» traded and supplied transport for the needs of various public institutions. This business has been very simple: buy the car today, and tomorrow sell them to the state institutions three times more expensive. At the same time, of course, share kickbacks with those officials who approved and paid from the budget for the purchase. In order to prove our words, here we present an excerpt from the message of the police department of the Krasnodar Territory from 1997, which perfectly shows how «Kubanskaya marka» worked.

 

CP 10508 ST 171 part 2 of the Criminal Code, illegal enterpreneurship. ZONE 3. Message received 12/18/97 at 09.00, departure at 09.10. In July and August 1997 in the district Karasunskiy in  ZAO "Kuban MARK" in the street. Essentuki, 8 an audition was made, in the course of which was establishes that the General director Budarin Viktor K. born in 1954, living Nasipnoy pereulok, 13/3 sold 2  cars UAZ 3962 "AMBULANCE" for 70 million rubles per 1 car (140 million RUB), which were acquired in the enterprise "KNESSID" at the price of 40 million rubles. The car trade licence was obtained by JSC "Kuban MARK" ONLY in 17.09.97. Kolontaevskiy was on duty, signed KO Lapin.

 

Probably Budarin shared not only with officials but also with the security forces, since the findings of such illegal exploitation of budget did not lead to enjail of the businessman. Soon, he registered another company - "South mark", and then LLP "Kubankredit", which later became the largest bank in southern Russia.

Victor Budarin had one not advertised partner in his business. This was an "authoritative" Cossack Ataman Sergei Eshchenko, a person from the criminal world, which was openly said by Krasnodar city Duma deputies (http://ngkub.ru/interviews/kolomyicev). How Budarin and Eshchenko got to know each other nobody knows, accurate data are not available but, apparently, their paths crossed on the basis of the automotive business.

 

Criminal connections of future tycoon

Eshchenko then was married to the daughter of the owner of a chain of  Moscow carservice centre "Felicia". At the end of 1990s, Eshchenko began to make rapid political career being guarded from the top by the governor Nikolay Kondratenko, and from the bottom by the criminal contingent. In 2000 Eshchenko actually "captured" the Legislative Assembly of Krasnodar Region, placing there 22 to his protege in the total number of deputies of 28.

However, when in 2000 to the post of Governor was occupied by Alexander Tkachev, Eshchenko’s career downwarded sharply. In 2002, he was taken to "investigation" by the Interior Ministry, at the same time the detectives investigated his inner circle, in which the main link was Viktor Budarin. The central office staff of the Russian Interior Ministry created an operative note on the basis of the work, excerpts of which we present below:

 

Found out: Budarin Viktor K., born in 1954, Russian, a native of the city of Krymsk, working, discharged from address Pereulik Nasypnogo, 13, Apt. 3 and registered in  the street Rozhdestvenskaya embankment, 17.

He does not live in the street Vorovskoy, 223 apt.99. Passport 1 FC 684 230 issued in 1978 in Magadan.

  Kondratenko Mikhail Viktorovich, born in 1961 and his wife Tatiana, born in 1961, and 3 school-age children (enrolled in school 18) live in a 2-room cooperative apartment at the address mentioned above.

They purchased this flat in 2000 after the departure of former hosts to Moscow. Allegedly, they constantly live in one of the villages in the region and purchased this apartment, as children attend the school next to the house. After high school,they are going to move back to the village. Sources say that Kondratenko has a high-post relative, an employee of a bank, who rarely visits them. Probably, it is a person under the supervision. However, sources cannot characterize him.

  According to archive data statement for the police QC 1997, Budarin V.K. lived with his wife and 2 children on per.Nasypnoy, 13, apt.3 He arrived in Krasnodar from Krasnoyarsk region, worked as a procurement officer in LTD "Lada Nova", went on business trips to purchase spare parts for a/m, opened stores in the Krasnodar Territory and Krasnoyarsk city, where his son from his first marriage lives. Then he headed ZAO "Kuban brand" (supply a / m cars). He was a co-founder of JSC “Juzhnaya Marka" (Priemysgev V.G.). Part of the funds invested in the Company "Kubankredit," was in friendly and business relations with the director Sklyarova NP. Then he headed the board of AB "Kubankredit."

The person under supervision has extensive contacts in the administration; in particular solve all business matters with the head of the tax inspectorate Peronko Ivan Alexandrovich, the Chairman of the Board of Sberbank of Russia of Krasnodarskiy Territory Mitjagin Alexander A. and mayor Samoilenko V.A.

 Many executives, including foreigners, often visit him.

  He solved all issues through bribes and personal contacts. Relationship with

  Eshchenko S.A. are not clear.

  He lived with his wife Budarina Galina Ivanovna, born in 1953, a member of the OK JSC "Kuban brand”, ill. Have 2 children: Dmitry, born in 1980 and Vera, born 1985. He had conflicts with his wife and in 1996, he left his family, lived with the female employee of his company, born in 1966, and traveled abroad together.

The person under supervision bought a mansion in the US, and started to spend a lot of time there. He comes to Krasnodar now and then. Allegedly, he bought an apartment in the Jubilee district for himself.

He is wealthy and has foreign currency and deposits with foreign banks.

 

As you can see from the report, in the early 2000s Budarin "developed" his business and solved all his problems solely by means of bribes. He provided financial support to the mayor, and the head of tax department, and many other officials.

Budarin’s heart and soul ever given to the United States

At the time while the governor Tkachev put his rules in the region, Budarin chose to "sit" his mansion in the United States and wait. It is worth noting that the businessman, has mysterious love to the United States, sometimes spending there for a year or more since 1990. What does Budarin do in this country, with whom, and what he is speaking about is still vague. For example, one time he told the reporters: "In Anchorage I had a chance to interact closely with one local banker. He invited me to go through the semi-annual lecture course on business in a local university."

However, the period of Budarin’s exile when Tkachev came to power in Kuban, was short. Soon the businessman forgot all former patrons and joined Tkachev’s team. Apparently, Budarin continued to operate with government officials and security forces using the methods described in the operative note. Not surprisingly, the budget money were literally pouring to the bank "Kuban-credit" and the bank systematically eliminated competitors in the province. Other credit institutions in Kuban were being closed one after the other, and Budarin’s Bank redeemed their offices, and opened their offices in their places until the "Kuban-credit" actually remained the only major bank in the Krasnodar region. Even such giants like the federal "SberBank" had to make room in the region.

How to become the owner of the region

Along the way, Viktor Budarin developed other direction. If some enterprise or plant (often state-owned) took credit in the "Kuban-credit" soon the object became Budarin’s property for the debt to the bank. If the company could earn, it continues to operate. If not, then using previously captured enterprises, factories were demolished and their territories were used for building residential and office buildings. As a result of such activities, now Budarin possesses not only bank but also more than fifty companies (mostly development companies), and four house-building plant, three machine-building factories, quarries, agricultural firms, bakery, project institutes and many others.

In the Kuban territory, the current oligarch is now jokingly called the "Marquis Karabas" - wherever you look - everything directly or indirectly, belongs to Budarin. Officials line up in front of him. The head of Krasnodar Vladimir Evlanov attends him to obtain new orders. The chairman of the Krasnodar Regional Court Alexander Chernov does not miss any hunting or picnic arranged by Budarin. And Colonel-General Nikolai Britvin, former head of the FSB Department for the Rostov region, considered it an honor, when immediately after dismissal from the counterintelligence, Budarin employed him. So a retired security officer Britvin headed a branch of WKB group in the Rostov region.

It is not surprising that over the last 10 years in local news agencies, you can see a lot of posts, beginning with the words: "The governor of Kuban has discussed with the head of the corporation WKB ...", and then a variety of topics, which the head of the region cannot resolve without advice and approval of oligarch Budarin.

All money for useless PR

Great attention "Kuban-credit" WKB «Kubanskaya marka» and other structures of the businessman is paid to PR-support. Even on the Internet, where there is everything about everyone, you cannot find a single negative or critical publication about Victor Budarin and dozens of his enterprises. But you can find thousands of articles written in the Soviet style about a "great role" of the businessman and his structures in the fate of the south of Russia, and even Russia in general. However, Budarin’s and his specialists in public relations clumsy attempts to present himself in the good light to the federal center ended in complete failure.

 In 2011, the Budarin’s controlled "Agrotorg" received the right to lease the area of 11.3 hectares (state-owned) in the area of ul. Lenin, 2 in the city of Sochi, where the site is located near the embankment of the river Mzymta and Olympic Park up to 2052. It was widely announced that the main structure of the Kuban tycoon together with the whole country will make efforts for the success of the main sporting events in 2014. On the site some houses should have been built, which athletes could accommodate.

In fact, Budarin had planned to build block-of-flats there, and after the Olympics to sell real estate with a profit. But he did not oversee one thing: the city of Sochi was actually under the control of the federal government and all of the methods that businessman used in Kuban and in several neighboring regions (including, in the Rostov region) "did not work" in the capital of the Olympics.

The land was intended only for low-rise building and despite all Budarin’s attempts to obtain permission for the construction of high-rise buildings, he failed. As a result, nothing was built for the Olympic Games on the territory leased from the state, and after the Games, he put it on auction. To compensate somehow the guilt to the federal center, Budarin has allocated 200 million rubles for the organization of the first stage of the Russian "Formula 1".

With the same «success», another Budarin’s loud pr-project ended. In the summer 2014, "Kuban-credit" announced to the whole country that it is one of the first Russian banks, which starts its operations in Crimea instead of escaped Ukrainian banks and major Russian banks, which feared Western sanctions. The news spread through almost all the Russian and Ukrainian media. As a result, "Kuban Credit" opened on the peninsula ... just two branches. Yes, and they did not last long. A few months later, "Kuban-credit", quietly stopped the work in Crimea. It happened, perhaps, because Budarin’s American property were dearer to him then another clumsy attempt to PR himself on patriotism.

"Budarinsky" bolder than "Kushchyovsky"

Having the glory of "the mighty and terrible", Budarin acquired the appropriate format to communicate and solve business problems in the construction market. He did not use to follow the letter of the law in Kuban, and the officials and servants of Themis are ready to meet any of his even totally illegal and sophisticated whims. The examples are not rare. One of the cases now is taking place in Krasnodar region and came to courts, which tend to support the Kuban oligarch. Judges are straight and do not fear saying that they will make a final decision in favor of the shadow host of the region. Why are they not afraid? Because in many courts in the province Budarin and his friend, the chairman of the regional court Chernov, contrary to federal law, install powerful radio-electronic devices that make it impossible to make any audio or video recordings without the permission of Chernov and Budarin. Therefore, the judges are absolutely impunity and frank.

Judge yourself. In 2009, the company "Stavis-SHS", owned by businessman Stanislav Sliva, purchased from OJSC "SDRSU-1", the right to lease the land area of 5961 square meters on the street Rashpilevskaya in Krasnodar. Soon after that the administration of Krasnodar region has signed a lease agreement with LLC "Stavis-SHS" and gave his son individual entrepreneur Victor Mirgorodskiy a permission to build a multi-storey administrative building with a car park. Construction began from the design and more than fifty million rubles has been invested into zero cycle.

Soon, however, this area has attracted Budarin and his sister, the individual entrepreneur Lyubov Sirotina. As we know "Marquis Carabas" often gets from officials what he wants. As a result, the area of 4169 square meters moved to SP Sirotina LB (the sister of oligarch Viktor Budarin). As a result, the individual entrepreneur immediately received permission to build an administrative building and erected high-rise building near the site of Stanislav Sliva.

Soon, representatives from the shadow master - strong guys familiar type of the 1990s appeared in the administration and the courts with the instructions on the site of Stanislav Sliva and SP Mirgorodskiy V.V. For Moscow or St. Petersburg such guys looks strange, but in the Kuban, as the example of the village Kushchevskaya showed, it is quite a common phenomenon today.

Such Budarin’s "messengers" constantly appear on the doorsteps of Kuban businessmen and "on concepts" explain the decisions of their boss. Nobody can disobey.

Stanislav Sliva and SP Mirgorodskaya V.V. got such a message: "Get out from this land, it is no longer yours. Boss is kind today; he will give you 15 million rubles for it." As Stanislav Sliva has already invested about 50 million rubles in the development and construction work, the "offer that you cannot refuse," did not satisfy him. And soon, Stanislav Sliva was called "on the carpet" to the head of Krasnodar Vladimir Evlanova. Official’s monologue was short: "You see who wanted the land. Do not argue with him. Why do you resist from his offer? People will give 10 million rubles for it, and you must be happy. Otherwise, they will take it away for nothing." As can be understood from the speech of the official 5 mln. Rubles (Budarin's messengers were talking about 15 million rubles), he apparently decided to keep for himself. That is to say, for intermediary services.

Stanislav Sliva and SP Mirgorodsky V.V. They did not understand how they can take away the land in the presence of all necessary documents, and refused politely. And soon they received the order of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Krasnodar City Administration for annulment of the building permit multi-storey administrative building with a car park on the grounds that "screed" allegedly building does not meet the standards of fire safety, although examination showed full compliance with all the requirements of the law of the foundation. All officials dismissed the objection: "Budarin had already decided everything. You rock the boat; everything will be taken away by the court." Shortly Stanislav Sliva and SP Mirgorodskiy V.V. ganged up literally all law enforcement and regulatory authorities of Krasnodar. For example, the administrative building, which was built by Stanislav Sliva, the administration does not connect to heating under false pretenses.

The secret of success - trained judges

The matter went to the court. Budarin did not pay much attention on the local arbitration court of the first instance because it is not of high importance for the outcome of decisions. As a result, Stanislav Sliva and SP Mirgorodskiy V.V. won in arbitration proceedings one after another. Budarin had enough of it, and he thought of his old friend and partner in hunting - Chairman of the Krasnodar Regional Court Alexander Chernov.

After losing, SP Sirotina LB and the Prosecutor's Office of Krasnodar region, appealed to the court of general jurisdiction just on the same grounds, which lost in the arbitration proceedings. And this, despite the fact that the economic dispute concerns two private businessmen, and it must be considered in arbitration, as the court of law is intended to protect the interests of individuals. But Prikubansky District Court even came up with this solution far from its legal justification, saying the two argue, SP is an individual entrepreneur, then we can assume that it is a dispute between two individuals.

Consideration of the claim of one SP to another was taken by a federal judge George Yermolov of Prikubansky district court of Krasnodar court of general jurisdiction, despite the fact that the object of the dispute in general is outside the jurisdiction, since it is located on the territory of the Leninsky district court. And all disputes with real estate for federal legislation to be considered solely on the territorial jurisdiction. The judge Yermolov took up this case against his will, and he frankly admitted at the meeting that he git involved on the order of the chairman of the district court Alexander Bespalov. He, in turn, received this order from the chairman of the District Court Alexander Chernov.

The same scheme was used to decide what kind of decision should be taken by the judge Yermolov. Why did the judge was so outspoken at meetings, we have already mentioned. Many of the rooms and halls of the court equipped with special "jammers" that do not allow participants to conduct audio or video sessions. Therefore, the judge is free to say and do whatever he wants. The main thing is that the Secretary of the meeting should make the correct protocol.

On December 3, 2014 the decision to cancel construction permits was aporoved, but in Prikubansky Court it was recalled that the story does not apply to their jurisdiction. Therefore, when the SP Sirotina LB filed a lawsuit to demolish the unauthorized construction, it was sent to the Leninsky district court. Aleksey Gorlov himself took it to the court proceedings.

Moreover, the judge Gorlov was not confused, that area on the street Rashpilevskaya belongs to Ltd. "Kuban-SHS". That is, in fact there was a legal entity and the case  should be considered in the arbitration court, it can not be attributed to the general civil jurisdiction of the courts. At the meeting of October 22, 2015 Gorlov announced that he himself did not really want to make a decision. So he asked everybody to stand up from their seats, including the participanrs of the case... and go together on foot to the next floor in the office of the judge Sergey Zalesnoe.

Not being embarrassed of the participants of the case, Gorlov gave his subordinate, surprised federal judge Zalesniy a folder with the case in which in large letters in pencil was written "from Budarin." "I'll explain everything to you later, and what decision you need to make, you have already understood," - said the president of the court to Zalesniy.

We can assume what decision will be make by the judge Zalesniy - after all attempts of Mirgorodskiy V.V. lawyer to terminate the proceedings in connection with the immunity are ignored.

Rumafia.com will follow the development of this process and actions of "Budarinsky."

 

Leonid Danilov,

Matthew Sergeev