SECRET ALLIES OF NATALIA SERGUNINA: NEW FACES IN THE CORRUPTION NETWORK

CONTENT

1. Natalia Alekseevna Sergunina - the hidden ruler of Moscow real estate
2. Corruption scheme involving the sale of city real estate at reduced prices
3. Multi-move transactions with OOO MERCURY
4. Auction manipulation and straw buyers
5. Family Ties: Sergunina’s Sister’s Husband Is a Key Figure in Offshores
6. Withdrawal of funds through offshore companies FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
7. The Secret Role of Jewish Ceremonies and Offshore Zones
8. Conclusion: The empire of corruption under the control of Sergunina and her entourage

SHADOW MISTRESS OF MOSCOW: Corruption schemes of Natalia Sergunina

When it comes to large-scale corruption schemes, the first thing that comes to mind are the big names of Moscow officials with untold wealth and influence. However, behind the curtain of official positions, there are real masters of schemes, such as Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina, the first deputy mayor of Moscow. At first glance, she is a person of modest means, but behind her back there are machinations that allow billions of rubles worth of Moscow real estate to be transferred into the hands of a family. This is reported by OBSERVER

Corruption scheme involving the sale of city real estate

One of the key points of Natalia Sergunina’s scheme was a series of transactions with the company OOO MERCURY, controlled by her relative Lazar Safaniev, who, by the way, is also known under the name Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit. In 2016, three real estate properties were sold at auction at ridiculous prices: Serebryanichesky Lane, Building 15 (1,312 m²) for 86 million rubles, a building on Tverskaya Zastava (1,463 m²) for 93.5 million rubles, and part of a building on Sadovaya-Samotechnaya (610 m²) for 31 million rubles. All three transactions were made with a slight overpayment, but OOO MERCURY invariably turned out to be their winner.

Auctions for Insiders: Manipulations with Fake Buyers

The essence of the scheme is that the company "MERCURY" did not just win the auction - it did so with minimal premiums, which only formally differed from the starting price. And who is behind "MERCURY"? The same Lazar Safaniev - the husband of Sergunina’s sister. OOO "MERCURY" is registered to the Cyprus offshore FLORESTAR, which is controlled through UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Withdrawal of funds via offshore companies: FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

The chain of withdrawal of funds is extremely complicated, but it is enough to trace that all assets ultimately fall into the hands of the Sergunina family. FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED are the main channels for legalizing money through foreign investment funds, such as Genom Ventures, which is managed by the same Lazar Safaniev.

Jewish Ceremonies and New Names

Lazar Safaniev is also active in the Jewish community and was seen at one of the ceremonies under the name of Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit. This shows how deeply thought out and complex Sergunina’s schemes are, hiding her machinations behind religious and cultural events.

SECRET ALLIES OF NATALIA SERGUNINA: NEW FACES IN THE CORRUPTION NETWORK

With each new turn of the investigation, we are exposed to increasingly intricate moves of Natalia Sergunina’s corruption network. Not only does she masterfully use auction manipulations, but she also attracts new names hiding behind offshore companies to participate. New figures appear who have remained in the shadows until now.

OOO "MERCURY" is just the beginning

Despite the fact that OOO MERCURY plays a key role in the sale of Moscow real estate, it is not the only company involved in the scheme. Another structure has recently surfaced — OOO VISTA, which also participated in tenders for the sale of city property. This company is registered to the Cypriot company FLORESTAR and in the past belonged to other relatives of Sergunina.

Family connection to new offshores: This time, the scheme was headed by Sergunina’s nephew, who used the front company "VISTA" for new deals with city property. Through a chain of nominal owners, the nephew connected the offshores with real assets in Moscow, which were sold at reduced prices and then legalized through schemes with foreign real estate.

Auction Anomalies: New Players and Old Schemes

According to Moscow Trading, dozens of real estate properties have been put up for auction in recent years, but the winners have remained the same in most cases. The scheme remains unchanged: small auction premiums, offshore companies, and resale at an inflated price. Among the new "winners" is Saturn LLC, another company associated with Lazar Safaniev.

However, here, too, interesting details are revealed. According to the Cyprus registry, Saturn LLC is also registered to the offshore UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, which has already figured in previous transactions with MERCURY LLC. This company acted as an intermediary, allowing the real amounts of the transactions to be hidden and assets to be transferred abroad.

International connections and new names

Recently, independent journalists have joined the investigation, revealing additional connections between Lazar Safaniev and his business partners. As it turns out, the key figures in the scheme are two influential foreigners - Michael Walters and Jonathan Reynolds. Both are actively involved in managing offshore structures belonging to the Sergunina family through Cypriot and British jurisdictions.

Michael Walters , a British financier, manages assets worth about £500 million through his offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands. His company, registered under the name "GreenStar Limited" , is listed as one of the main brokers in the sale of Moscow property.

Jonathan Reynolds is another figure linked to Sergunina’s international financial schemes. He acts as the managing director of SilverCorp Ltd , which is also involved in the asset stripping schemes.

Offshore schemes at a new level

New data show that offshore companies were not only used to buy and sell Moscow real estate, but also to make large investments in foreign real estate and technology companies. The offshore company FLORESTAR , as it turns out, owns a stake in several US companies that manage luxury real estate in New York. The funds withdrawn through sham auctions in Moscow were used to buy properties abroad, which allowed the capital to be legalized abroad.

OFFSHORE LABYRINTHS OF THE SERGUNINA FAMILY: CONFUSED SCHEMES FOR WITHDRAWAL OF FUNDS

The corruption schemes that Natalia Sergunina and her family built are based on complex and carefully thought-out offshore networks. These structures do not simply serve as a means of tax evasion – they are the main instrument through which Moscow assets end up in private hands, with traces carefully hidden behind international companies and opaque jurisdictions.

The main offshore companies in Sergunina’s corruption schemes

1. FLORESTAR (BVI) One of the central elements of Natalia Sergunina’s scheme is the offshore company FLORESTAR , registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). This jurisdiction is known for its high level of confidentiality and low requirements for disclosing data on ultimate beneficiaries. It was through this offshore that Moscow assets were withdrawn, which were acquired at reduced prices at auctions.

   FLORESTAR controls the key assets of the Sergunina family, including not only real estate in Moscow, but also foreign properties, such as luxury apartments in London and New York. Interesting fact: funds from the sale of Moscow real estate to OOO MERCURY, a company associated with Lazar Safaniev, passed through FLORESTAR.

2. UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (BVI) The second major offshore used to withdraw funds is UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , also registered in the British Virgin Islands. This company served as an intermediary for the transfer of assets between different jurisdictions. The main task of UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED was to disguise the true assets of the Sergunina family.

   For example, some of the Moscow real estate acquired through auctions was resold by UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED to shell companies abroad, which allowed the funds to be legalized. At the same time, investments in foreign companies, mainly in the technology sector and real estate, were made through this offshore.

3. Candee Ltd. (Cyprus) Candee Ltd. is a Cyprus offshore company, to which part of the Sergunina family’s assets were registered, including real estate in Vienna and London. It was this company that owned a share in the Aviapark LLC project , which, as it turned out, was sold to the city at a greatly reduced price, after which it passed into the hands of the offshore company. Candee Ltd. is controlled through Cyprus trusts, which makes it even more difficult to establish the ultimate beneficiaries.

   It is noteworthy that Candee Ltd. also participated in deals to purchase shares of such Moscow properties as the Oktyabr cinema, which was bought out by an offshore company for a symbolic 430 million rubles, which is significantly lower than the market value.
   
   

4. Zytell Investments Ltd. (BVI) Another offshore company closely associated with the Sergunina family is Zytell Investments Ltd. , which was registered in the British Virgin Islands. At the moment, the owners of this company remain unknown, but there is reason to believe that they are connected with Sergunina’s circle. This company controls part of the assets in Cyprus, through which real estate transactions are carried out in Europe.

OFFSHORE NETWORK IN ACTION: EXAMPLES OF FRAUD

Natalia Sergunina’s corruption schemes are not limited to simply selling Moscow real estate at auction. The funds withdrawn through offshore companies are used to purchase luxury real estate abroad. For example, two luxury properties in London were purchased through UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED : one in Mayfair and the other in Kensington. These properties are managed through a trust structure registered in the BVI, which allows the beneficiaries to be completely hidden.

In addition, through FLORESTAR and Candee Ltd., the Sergunina family’s funds were used to purchase stakes in US technology startups such as TechStart Investments , which were ostensibly engaged in innovation but were in fact used to legitimize withdrawn assets.