Posted on 07/11/2005 8:46:58 AM PDT by Lukasz
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, reported to be under investigation over land purchases, on Monday denied wrongdoing.
The General Prosecutors office has opened a criminal case against Kasyanov for gaining property by deception or a breach of faith, a source in the prosecutors' office told two Russian news agencies. A spokeswomen in the prosecutors' office refused to comment.
"In all the years I have been in state service, I did not found any commercial organizations and I never owned any shares or any stakes in any firms," Kasyanov said in a statement read by his spokeswoman Tatiana Razbash.
Kasyanov is currently outside Russia but plans to return later this month, Razbash said. His statement did not address specifically alleged land purchases.
The suave, 47-year-old Kasyanov was sacked by President Vladimir Putin last year just weeks before the 2004 presidential poll in which Putin was re-elected.
Since then he has openly criticized Kremlin policies and has dropped a heavy hint that he will run for president in 2008.
Russia's courts are widely regarded as being under the control of the Kremlin and a high profile probe is rarely opened without guidance from above. The Kremlin says the courts are independent of the executive.
YUKOS oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky was given a nine-year jail sentence at the end of May for fraud and tax evasion in what was seen as a Kremlin-engineered affair to punish him for his political ambitions.
Politicians and analysts speculated on Monday that the criminal probe was likely to be a warning shot to Kasyanov also to stay out of politics as the Kremlin seeks to neutralize political opponents ahead of 2008.
Under the constitution, Putin must then step down, but it is assumed he will seek to ensure the election of a hand-picked successor.
"This has long been widespread: the prosecutor and the courts are used often as a hammer to beat people around the head with," Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov told journalists on Monday. "We can see that the election campaign is being rolled out and such cases are unlikely to be solitary."
Kasyanov has accused the Kremlin of having a sloppy economic policy and criticized the prosecution of Khodorkovsky. Kasyanov said on Monday he continued to see Russia's political course as "mistaken."
The prosecutors' probe was initiated after a request by Alexander Khinshtein, a deputy in the lower house of parliament for the Kremlin-backed United Russia party, Russian news agencies reported.
Khinshtein, a journalist and a member of the lower house's anti-corruption committee, accused Kasyanov of being involved in obtaining 11.5 hectares of prime land and a dacha (country home), local newspapers reported.
Surely this proble has nothing to do with Kasyanov political activities. Same with Khodorkovsky--it's a pure coincedence that they got criminal cases on them after they started challenging Putin (Sarcasm)-:))))))
ping
What is interesting that this Kasyonov’s dacha belonged to Michail Suslov, as you probably know specialist of the Soviet ideology.
Surely this proble has nothing to do with Kasyanov political activities. Same with Khodorkovsky--it's a pure coincedence that they got criminal cases on them after they started challenging Putin (Sarcasm)-:))))))==
Of cause Russia as any country cann't afford that the criminal become her president. Isn't it right guy?
Kasianov is dud candidate. His popularity is almost zero.
He is well-known in Russia by nickname: "Misha 2 per cents".
It was exactly the fee he asked for his signature under any valuable business project papers when he was finance minister.
I’m curious what they have against Kasparov, probably he won some chess tournaments but forget to pay the taxes…==
But you have not to forget it if you wnat to be politician. DO we need politician tax evader?
On behalf of Kasparov I would say that people who openly became advocates of swindeler and tax evader oligarkh and take thier "dirty" money into thier political campaign, has zero chance to win it. At least in Russia.
Amen!:)).
"Kasianov is dud candidate. His popularity is almost zero.
He is well-known in Russia by nickname: "Misha 2 per cents". It was exactly the fee he asked for his signature under any valuable business project papers when he was finance minister. "
As far as I know, "Misha 2 percent" nickname was about his statements that Russia GDP target growth rate should be 2 percent per year. But let's assume that what you said is true, and that he did take 2 percent per every business deal that required his signature. The question is where Putin was all these years when Kasyanov was Prime-Minister. I belive he was prime-minister from 2000 till 2004--the entire first term of Putin. Kasyanov was fired during Putin relection campaign in the spring of 2004.
So all these 4 years (plus year and half after Kasyanov was fired) Putin and the Prosecutor office did not know that Kasyanov pocketed 2 percent on every deal ? If this is the case, then Putin, Kremlin Administration and Prosecutor's office are totally incompetent.
Or maybe Kremlin Administration and Prosecutor office simply kept a file on Kasyanov to use it against him if Kasyanov will not be cooperative enough with Kremlin Administration ? This is quite plausible because keeping a file of misdeeds is a standart practice by Mafia clans or Special Services to blackmail a certain public figure into cooperation.
Or maybe neither Putin Administration, nor Prosecutor's general had any good idea what Kasyanov was up to until one brave Duma Member came forward ? Well--let's assume it's the case. Why then Prosecutor's General office opens up immediately criminal case on Kasyanov the same day after MP request acting as if they had all the hard evidence to warrant an opening of a criminal probe and the evidence of Kasyanov guilt ? Why they are so in hurry to open up a probe on an ex-official as if they are sure he was guilty ? It does not look like they don't have any other information on Kasyanov apart from this Duma Member.
About a week ago in Germany there was a discovery of Putin's name on Bank Documents that are suspected paper trails of money laundering scheme (something like 5 bln of USD). There are also talks of Abramovich (or somebody else) giving Putin yacht worth of 50 million dollars. Will Russian Prosecutor General office consider launching investigation (or at least a formal inquiry) into these allegations as quickly as they launched it against Kasyanov on a request of some unknown Duma member ? How about murky circumstances of YUKOS reaquisition ? So far I didn't hear any probe about these cases.
You can read it here
INVESTIGATION OF FORMER PREMIER THREATENS TO ACQUIRE POLITICAL DIMENSION... As the Russian media reported the investigation of former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's alleged illegal purchase of his dacha (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 July 2005), investigative journalist and Duma Deputy Aleksandr Khinshtein (Unified Russia), who initiated the Prosecutor-General's Office probe of Kasyanov, has not disguised the case's political coloring, newsinfo.ru reported on 11 July. Khinshtein said that the investigation is a "preemptive" measure to make clear to Kasyanov that the Prosecutor-General's Office can find much more serious charges if Kasyanov decides to run for president in 2008. Khinshtein published on 3 July in "Moskovskii komsomolets" an investigative article in which he accused Kasyanov not only of buying for $1 million a state dacha worth $28 million, but also of helping to make an equally illegal deal for AlfaGroup head Mikhail Fridman. The Prosecutor-General's Office confirmed on 11 July it has opened a criminal case against Kasyanov and announced it has also opened a case against the state official, Ramil Gaisin, who sold Kasyanov and Fridman their dachas, RIA-Novosti and "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported. "In all my years in the civil service, I never founded any commercial organizations or owned shares or stakes in any firms," polit.ru quoted a statement released by Kasyanov's press secretary as saying. The secretary added that Kasyanov, who is now on vacation abroad, will not interrupt his holidays and will return home as planned on 25 July, and he noted that Kasyanov continues to view Russia's current political course as mistaken. VY
Abramovich gave a yacht to Putin, that is the way how oligarchs must to do a business in Russia. What you can say Ivan, about such presents.==
What yackht Lukasz? DOn't you think that Putin doesn't have his own that he will take something from Abramovich?
"Abrasha" (his nickname) is next:). SO he moved to London:).
But let's assume that what you said is true, and that he did take 2 percent per every business deal that required his signature. The question is where Putin was all these years when Kasyanov was Prime-Minister. I belive he was prime-minister from 2000 till 2004--the entire first term of Putin. Kasyanov was fired during Putin relection campaign in the spring of 2004. ==
Kasianov was Eltsin's creature. SO Putin couldn't fire him right away. Probably Kasianov went quient with his "2%" after Putin came. Who knows.
I'm for he went to prison but it is not me to decide.
Still I'm sure he is dud candidate even for major of small village on Chukotka.
Khinshtein said that the investigation is a "preemptive" measure to make clear to Kasyanov that the Prosecutor-General's Office can find much more serious charges if Kasyanov decides to run for president in 2008.
hehe How honest :)==
You so naive:)). You take for granted everything which some jornalist says about Russia if it is bad. It is bias isn't it?:)
Accually we all know that jornalism is second ancient profession after you know what.
In order to know something about Russia you have to be here. To walk streets to speak people THEN you may understand something.
If you read jornalist fairy tales (whoever jornalist) then you eat just gossips, libels and so on. At result you are duped.
I'm not very fond of russian reality ( I see lot of shortcomings and so on) but it is far from grim picture of your grim articles.
"You so naive:)). You take for granted everything which some jornalist says about Russia if it is bad. It is bias isn't it?:)
Accually we all know that jornalism is second ancient profession after you know what."
Well--Alexandr Khinstein is journalist. So according to your logic, he could have published a hoax or libel against Kasyanov on the orders from Kremlin--or wasn't he ?
So am I still "duped" ? Or maybe its you who are "duped" into defending Putin regime at every opportunity on FR instead of asking yourself questions whether this regime worth defending ?
Or maybe its you who are "duped" into defending Putin regime at every opportunity on FR instead of asking yourself questions whether this regime worth defending ?==
I defend good sense. Putin's regime are not angelic I know it first hand. And I criticize it each day before people here in Moscow.
And I KNOW for what to critisize it.
BUT.
The stupid articles which are published on FR and supported by people who long time left Russia or just never in life being there are not become "truth" either.
SO if I see sound analitical matherial about Russia (which is seldom but happens here I support it).
But mostly it just shumble-mumble by proven russophobes or just plain stupid.
I hope that I do good help for you and others if I exposes here those stupidities. Since I share my vision of "people on the ground".
For example here. "Misha 2%" as new president candidate got harrased by "stalinist" Putin? Bhahaha:)). Good joke. Whole Russia will laugh:).
If Putin "harasses" "Misha" then he makes him a advertisement for free. What is happening.
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