CORRUPTION
An investigation by The Insider has uncovered the source of the immense wealth of Russia's richest minister, Denis Manturov. The findings reveal that he has been in blatant disregard of anti-corruption laws for several years. Manturov initially amassed his fortune through contracts with the government's Glavgosekspertiza and by renting out a luxurious mansion in the heart of Moscow to government agencies. He then sold his family business, which included the aforementioned mansion, to a subsidiary of KAMAZ, one of the companies he was overseeing, and still continues to receive hundreds of millions annually from this deal.
Content
Enrichment scheme
Family Directors
Tenement
Other assets
At the end of November, a senior White House official paid a visit to the KAMAZ plant in Tatarstan. In the federal government, Denis Manturov is responsible for the entire industry. He also heads the supervisory board of Rostekh, the state corporation that owns most of KAMAZ.
“The company has been fulfilling all of its obligations in full and ensuring the country’s transport security,” Manturov was told by the company’s top executives. As The Insider found out, the state-owned company has also been ensuring the luxurious life of the deputy prime minister himself. The company has also been fulfilling its obligations to him personally.
Enrichment scheme
For three consecutive years, Denis Manturov was named as the richest minister – in 2019, 2020, and 2021. However, the source of his 2 billion ruble fortune ($27 180 000) over those three years was shrouded in mystery. Despite the release of his tax declarations, which only provided basic figures, the public was left in the dark. But, through leaked information obtained by The Insider from the tax authorities, the truth was finally uncovered. Manturov's wealth was revealed to be the result of a corrupt scheme designed for his personal gain.
In 2020, according to the Federal Tax Service, Denis Manturov received 298 million rubles ($4 045 743) from STFK KAMAZ LLC. This firm is the official distributor of, and is fully owned by, the KAMAZ parent company. It sells both original spare parts and parts produced by partner businesses.
According to The Insider's sources, the state company has been transferring hundreds of millions of funds to Manturov on an annual basis based on the “Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of Securities № 308-18/z of 25.12.2018.” In 2020, as previously mentioned, Manturov received close to 298 million through this arrangement. Our source also revealed that the same amount was received in 2021. These payments are made twice a year on a consistent schedule: January 15th and June 30th.
The Insider was able to determine the nature of the securities being sold by analyzing changes in KAMAZ's list of affiliates.
On December 25, 2018, when the contract between Manturov and the KAMAZ subsidiary was signed, ServiceGroup JSC and its director, Svetlana Grinenko, were listed as affiliates of the company. Further investigation revealed that LLC STFK KAMAZ was listed as a shareholder of ServiceGroup in the 2019 balance sheet. However, information about prior owners is not available.
As there were no other changes to KAMAZ's affiliates on December 25, 2018, it is highly likely that either Minister Manturov or a member of his family was the owner of ServiceGroup and the seller of the shares. The Insider discovered multiple confirmations of this, providing a solid basis for this conclusion and eliminating any room for speculation.
Family Directors
While some individuals have a family physician or fitness trainer, Denis Manturov has a rotating cast of persons serving as family general directors, moving from one business asset to another. By tracing these movements, it has been established that the Minister of Industry was behind ServiceGroup, a company that does not publicly disclose its shareholders due to its status as a JSC.
For the three years prior to the sale of ServiceGroup, Oleg Rumyantsev served as its director. During this time, he was also a member of the Board of Directors of JSC Pansionat Primorye. Among the assets of this company is the Primorye Grand Resort Hotel in Gelendzhik, with the last disclosed ultimate beneficiaries being the mother of Deputy Prime Minister Tamara Manturova and the son of Rostekh head Stanislav Chemezov.
Rumyantsev
The Insider reached out to Oleg Rumyantsev for a comment on whether Denis Manturov was behind ServiceGroup, but he declined to comment.
In addition to managing ServiceGroup, Rumyantsev was also in charge of Cherry Orchard LLC, another asset of Manturov's mother. The company owns a mansion on Stanislavsky Street in Moscow, with the floor area of 794 square meters.
Ilya Ryzhiy was the head of ServiceGroup prior to Rumyantsev, since 2011. He was also the director of Cherry Orchard and other Manturov companies.
Tenement
As the head of the Ministry of Industry for 11 years, Denis Manturov is likely familiar with the name of Alexei Milyutin, a Russian manufacturer who founded the largest silk factory in Moscow in the 18th century. Incidentally, the mansion, which has enriched the minister, is located in Milyutin Lane.
According to Rosreestr records, JSC ServiceGroup has owned the building at 10 Milutinsky Lane since 2008. The six-story building spans 2,338.5 square meters.
The property is estimated to be worth at least one billion rubles.
Before selling the mansion to KAMAZ, Manturov had been earning income by renting out the premises, particularly to government agencies. For example, ServiceGroup entered into lease agreements with the Federal Autonomous Establishment “Glavgosekspertiza Rossii” in 2016 and 2017, netting more than 117 million rubles without a tender.
Other assets
The family of Deputy Prime Minister Manturov leads a luxurious lifestyle, as is fitting for the family of the wealthiest member of the government. This extends to their motor vehicles, the production of which the Minister of Industry oversees in Russia. Manturov promotes increasing the domestic market's share of domestic vehicles, but his relatives have a fondness for foreign car brands.
The deputy prime minister himself owns a Lada Vesta, but it is unlikely he uses it, as at the time of writing, the vehicle's MTPL policy had expired. However, his Tesla car has a valid policy.
Manturov's son, Evgeny, who is 24 years old, drives a BMW 8, which was involved in a collision with a bus. Evgeny is also involved in the development of a registration service for sporting events through his company, Altima. He is a sportsman himself and a European champion in practical shooting. When asked by The Insider if he, like others from less affluent families, would risk his life in war and put his skills to use, Manturov Jr. declined to comment.
The government official's wife, Natalia, operates the Lancet chain of aesthetic medicine clinics, with some of the business projects being registered under Manturov's mother’s and mother-in-law’s names.
Manturov's mother-in-law, Alla Kisel, is the owner of a dairy farm in the Tver region, and in 2021 she became the owner of 358 hectares of land in the Zubtsovsky district.
Mother-in-law's BMW
The 84-year-old woman also owns a BMW i8 and a Maybach.
Mother-in-law's Maybach
The Deputy Prime Minister’s 86-year-old mother Tamara Manturova has a Mercedes-Benz S350 registered in her name. She was also listed as the owner of a mansion in the Pirogovo yacht club near Moscow worth 5 billion rubles ($68 260 000). The Manturov family was also found to own a hotel in central Moscow worth 2 billion rubles ($27 180 000), a chain of gas stations, a Kuban winery and a commercial real estate in Gelendzhik.