New Version of Andrei Nekrasov’s Anti-Magnitsky Film Attempts to Absolve Putin’s Friend Roldugin from Laundering the $230 Million Fraud Proceeds

June 14, 2016

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate distribution

New Version of Andrei Nekrasov’s Anti-Magnitsky Film Attempts to Absolve Putin’s Friend Roldugin from Laundering the $230 Million Fraud Proceeds

14 June 2016 – Last night, Russian filmmaker Andrei Nekrasov showed an updated version of his anti-Magnitsky film to a private audience at the Newseum in Washington, in which he attempts to exonerate Sergei Roldugin, Putin’s cello-playing childhood friend from the involvement in the Magnitsky case, which was revealed in April 2016 through “Panama Papers.”

In his new version of “The Magnitsky Act–Behind the Scenes,” Nekrasov claims that Sergei Roldugin couldn’t have been a recipient of the proceeds of the $230 million tax rebate fraud that Sergei Magnitsky exposed, claiming that the money paid into Roldugin’s accounts predated the Magnitsky case.

Nekrasov says in his film: “The transaction that was supposed to link the fraud and Putin’s friend took place in July and October 2007, that is before the fraud at the end of December [when the fraudulent tax refund was approved by Russian officials].”

In fact, according to the Panama Papers and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, $2 million connected to the $230 million fraud was received on account of Delco Networks SA on February 27th, 2008, i.e. two month after the US$230 million theft,

and from there, US$800,000 was wired to Sergei Roldugin’s company, International Media Overseas SA under a May 2008 contract (https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2811374-IMO-DELCO-SHARE-PURCHASE.html#document/p1). International Media Overseas SA was incorporated on February 1st 2008, and held an account with Gazprombank’s branch in Switzerland (https://www.occrp.org/en/panamapapers/russia-the-cellist-and-the-lawyer/).

“This latest claim by Andrei Nekrasov shows clearly his bias and the purpose of his film – to absolve corrupt Russian officials and individuals who were involved in and benefited from the $230 million fraud uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky,” said William Browder, leader of the global Magnitsky Justice movement.

Andrei Nerkasov’s main ally in the promotion of his anti-Magnitsky film is Nataliya Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer for Denis Katsyv whose company is currently accused by the US Department of Justice and the Swiss Attorney General of money laundering in connection to proceeds of the $230 million fraud uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky. Ms Veselnitskaya’s involvement in organising the film and its aborted screening in Brussels was revealed by the Kremlin news agency, TASS, who called her of “one of the Russian organisers of the film preview.”

Other supporters of Nekrasov’s anti-Magnitsky film are Pavel Karpov, the former police officer who had custody of the documents used in the US$230 million fraud, and Andrei Pavlov, the consigliere of the Kluyev Organized Crime Group who participated in the collusive court proceedings used in the fraud. Both men flew to Brussels to the aborted European premiere of the film.

Pavlov and Karpov in Brussels

In his film, Nekrasov has dismissed the evidence, findings and conclusions from multiple independent bodies and investigative journalists showing that Magnitsky was arrested after he had testified against corrupt Russian police officers and killed in custody.

A catalogue of Andrei Nekrasov’s deliberate lies is exposed in a 50-page PowerPoint presentation by the Magnitsky Justice Campaign based on the official documents, Sergei Magnitsky’s testimony, and independent investigations. The presentation can be downloaded here: http://russian-untouchables.com/docs/Nekrasov%20Lies%20Presentaion%20June%20(ENG)%20NEW%20JUNE%202016%20v%202.pdf

Nekrasov’s lies in the film have also been exposed by Russian human rights activists who stated that he intends to attack the Magnitsky list in the interest of corrupt officials affected by sanctions.

Statement of Lyudmila Alexeeeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Commission: http://www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/72940.html

Statement of Valery Borschev, head of the Moscow Public Oversight Commission, that conducted the forensic investigation of Magnitsky’s death in detention.

Sergei Magnitsky was Hermitage’s lawyer who uncovered the US$230 million fraud and testified about the complicity of Russian officials in it. He was falsely arrested, detained for 358 days without trial, tortured and killed in Russian police custody at the age of 37. The events of this case are described in the New-York Times best-seller “Red Notice” by William Browder and in a series of campaign videos on Youtube channel “Russian Untouchables”.

For more information, please contact:

Justice for Sergei Magnitsky
+44 207 440 1777
e-mail: info@lawandorderinrussia.org
www.lawandorderinrussia.org
www.billbrowder.com
@Billbrowder

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