Forbes.ru made a short video on the topic "What do representatives of big business think about Navalny’s activities?". At times it’s entertaining and unexpected, especially when they give the floor to people I often criticize on my LiveJournal blog (Ruben Vardanyan) or have even sued (Oleg Vyugin). But the one who really astonished me was Pavel Teplukhin, a well-known and highly respected businessman, who said (at 1:46 in the video): "The goals are noble, but it would be good if they were actually achieved, rather than turning into an endless process." Among Pavel’s many business titles, there is one that is especially interesting:
He is a member of the supervisory board and an independent director of VTB Bank. The very same bank whose management stole $150 million from shareholders in a deal to purchase drilling rigs. Another $350 million may yet be lost—the rigs have now been lying idle under the snow in Yamal (in northern Russia) for a third year. It is precisely the VTB case that I have been investigating for the second year now, and it has turned into an endless process without any "achievement of goals." We seem to have done an enormous amount of work, found all the documents, and filed thousands of complaints. But the goals have not been achieved. We know exactly who stole the money, how they stole it, and through which companies they siphoned it off. But the goals have not been achieved. Because it is obvious that by "achieving goals," Pavel Teplukhin means the lawful and just criminal prosecution of the managers of OJSC "VTB Bank" and compensation for the shareholders’ losses. What other goals could there possibly be? The only strange thing is that Pavel Teplukhin, despite being an independent director of VTB, has done nothing to help. Not out of kindness or sympathy—he receives about $200,000 a year for his work on the supervisory board. It is his direct legal duty to deal with matters like this and respond to reports of corruption at the bank. In fairness, I should note that I have never personally approached Pavel Teplukhin. So theoretically—very, very theoretically—one could assume that he is unaware of the situation. But now it is a different matter. I take Pavel Teplukhin’s words as support, and even as a declaration of his desire to challenge the crooks entrenched at VTB, examine the case in detail, and do everything an independent director is supposed to do. Not just brush the documents off to the prosecutor’s office or the bank, but really do everything properly and honestly. Raise the issue at the Supervisory Board. Create a commission. Head it. Investigate. Publish the results. Work for noble goals—and in such a way that there will actually be results. By the end of this week, I will write Pavel Teplukhin a detailed letter and attach every last document so that he has no room for doubt. I will publish both his response and the results of his investigation. I am sure that now the case will finally move off dead center. With Pavel Teplukhin, we are a force! Oh yes. I do not envy 1) the VTB people, 2) the prosecutors, cops, and judges they bribe, 3) the government and presidential administration officials who are on their payroll, and 4) the rest. Because now they are dealing with Pavel Teplukhin.