Sergey Kovbasyuk. The dark side of the legal profession Law Bureau lawyers and business kovbasyuk

Sergei Kovbasyuk, 42-year-old lawyer, founder and manager of the Moscow law firm “Lawyers and Business”, charged under Part 5 of Art. 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (giving a bribe on an especially large scale; provides, in particular, for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 8 to 15 years) On January 23, 2018, the Khamovniki Court of the city of Moscow was released on bail in the amount of 20 million rubles.

Sergey Kovbasyuk was brought to court in handcuffs at about three o'clock in the afternoon. The lawyer, wearing a light jacket, sweatpants and dress shoes, from which the convoy had prudently removed the laces, looked very tired. He had been in detainee status for three days already, after he was summoned to the Investigative Committee of the Central Administrative District of Moscow on the evening of January 19 and interrogated following the filing of charges. According to unofficial information, in the winter and spring of 2016, the manager of the law office, Sergei Kovbasyuk, transferred $600,000 to a former FSB employee to resolve a sensitive issue. Several people appear in the criminal case, including a former security officer known in certain circles. Gennady Podfigurny and Moscow lawyer Evgenia Semchukova, who has already given detailed testimony. The investigation made a request to place Kovbasyuk in custody for a period of two months.

Having opened the meeting, the judge Marina Syrova At first, I carefully studied the additional materials attached to the case for about half an hour. It followed from them that the defendant was dependent on three small children and a seriously ill mother, and the defendant himself needed medical supervision after the death of his father at the end of December last year. Also added to the case was the protocol of the additional interrogation dated January 22 with new – this time confessional – testimony from the lawyer.

– Do you have any objections to being in custody?– Judge Syrova asked the detainee in a rather original way.

- I ask you to choose bail, your honor,– Sergei Kovbasyuk answered, listing the reasons why, in his opinion, he should remain free. Among other things, the lawyer noted “mutual understanding with the investigation” and a workforce of 400 people, “who may suffer from the absence of an employer” (according to media reports, Kovbasyuk invested in the construction of a rabbit farm for 4,200 animals, which opened in the Bryansk region last fall).

– Amount of bail?– the judge clarified.

– 20 million rubles.

- Is everything with you?

- Yes sir!– Kovbasyuk, a former graduate of the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, answered clearly in a military manner.

Three of Kovbasyuk’s lawyers, who took turns expressing arguments in support - positive characteristics, marital status, cooperation with the investigation - confirmed the possibility of making a multimillion-dollar bail.

“If the court considers the amount insufficient, we can consider increasing it,”

– one of the defenders smiled.

Representatives of the Investigative Committee and the prosecutor’s office in their objections called the lawyer’s new testimony “relatively appreciative” and expressed concern that the accused could put pressure on witnesses due to his extensive connections in law enforcement agencies ( Sergey Kovbasyuk– former investigator of the Investigation Department of the FSB of Russia). They also noted the particular gravity of the crime committed.

Judge Marina Syrova took a pause of almost an hour and a half to make her decision. Returning from the deliberation room, she announced the decision - to choose a preventive measure for Kovbasyuk in the form of house arrest until March 19. The judge emphasized that a written undertaking not to leave the place and a bail do not exclude the possibility for the accused to escape from the investigative authorities. At the same time, she called the fears of the representative of the prosecutor’s office that Sergei Kovbasyuk would influence the course of the criminal case unfounded and unsubstantiated.

When Kovbasyuk was released from the cage after completing the paperwork, he hugged his wife and, together with a small support group, quickly left the courthouse. His representatives declined to comment.

Sergey Kovbasyuk was born in Samara. In 1997 he graduated from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. In 1997-2000, he was an investigator at the Investigative Directorate of the FSB of Russia. In 2001, he took the position of Deputy General Director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation” (real estate management with the status of historical and cultural monuments). He began his legal career in 2003, becoming the founder of the Lawyers and Business Association. Among the bureau's clients, in particular, is such a large company as PJSC RusHydro. According to media reports, Sergey Kovbasyuk is also an investor in the peasant (farm) enterprise (KVH) SVK Agro, which is engaged in the development of a rabbit breeding enterprise.

In the list of companies with the highest revenue for 2016, the bureau was placed in 17th place. Among other things, the bureau was included in the rating of the best Russian firms in the group of arbitration proceedings. Rabbit breeding complex: As an investor in SVK Agro, S. Kovbasyuk decided to open a rabbit breeding farm in one of the regions of Russia. In June 2017, SVK Agro will launch a rabbit meat production complex with a total cost of 1.2 billion rubles. The final production volume will be 600 tons per year. According to Sergei Kovbasyuk, the authorities of the Bryansk region allocated 32 hectares of land to the peasant farm "SVK Agro" for the construction of the enterprise. Kovbasyuk expects to occupy up to 30% of the country’s market for rabbit meat, and then achieve a dominant position and become the largest producer of rabbit meat in Russia. Personal life of Sergei Kovbasyuk: Married.

Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich

However, when the time came to repay the debt, Kotelkin did not do it. As a result, Nemtsov was forced to go to court. As a result of this, all the assets of the former head of Rosvooruzhenie were under threat of confiscation in favor of Nemtsov. At the trial, Kotelkin was represented by lawyers from the Lawyers and Business bureau - Sergey Kovbasyuk and Artur Zafarov.

In February 2015, Boris Nemtsov was killed, and the debt issue seemed to resolve itself. Meanwhile, according to the source, investigators were working on this version of the murder, among many others. In the future, the killers from Chechnya who committed the murder will be detained, but the customers have not yet been identified.
However, the defendants in this case tell their version of what happened. Allegedly, their accomplice Beslan Shavanov, recruited by the SBU, arrived in Moscow with the task of killing Nemtsov.

Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk - biography, information, personal life

From the very beginning of its existence, the company has taken one of the leading positions among legal entities. A professional team of lawyers and advocates is guided by the highest standards and best traditions of the Russian legal profession. Over 23 years of work, a team of specialists with high professional experience has been created.

Attention

The bureau's lawyers have been repeatedly invited as experts on Russian law. The quality of the bureau’s work is positively noted by the information portal “Pravo.ru”. According to the annual ranking of law firms, the bureau has become the leader in terms of revenue per lawyer among firms with a staff of less than thirty people.

Important

In the list of companies with the highest revenue for 2016, the bureau was placed in 17th place. Among other things, the bureau was included in the rating of the best Russian firms in the group of arbitration proceedings. Rabbit breeding complex As an investor in SVK Agro, S.

Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk - biography

Hence, the investigation has a question regarding the motive for the murder - what goal did the customers pursue, to destabilize the political situation, or to solve their financial problems. Census of assets Even at the stage of the trials with Nemtsov, Alexander Kotelkin transferred the assets under his control to his lawyers - Kovbasyuk and Zafarov. Thus, the lawyers became the owners of Tver-Safari LLC, the largest hunting enterprise in the Tver region.
And the previously mentioned company “Cargotrans” also passed into the hands of lawyers. Along with her, Kovbasyuk also got a mansion, in which the Moscow representative office of the Ukrainian bureau “Gestors” - “Lawyers and Business”, headed by Zafarov under the leadership of Kovbasyuk, was opened.

Lawyer Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich

The fact is that “Lawyers & Business”, through its affiliates, is completely controlled by the Ukrainian law firm “Gestors”, which not only closely cooperates with the SBU, but also prepares a legal justification for Ukraine for international authorities as to why Crimea allegedly illegally became part of Russia. Kovbasyuk is the “hands and ears” in Russia of “Gestors” and those who stand behind it. Russian special services had questions for Kovbasyuk related to the murder of ex-deputy D. Voronenkov. At one time, he and Kovbasyuk were friends and tried to solve problems for businessmen, acting as “fixers.” Voronenkov was put on the wanted list in Russia for his joint raider seizure of the Toma enterprise with Kovbasyuk. In 2015, Kovbasyuk attempted a raider takeover of the management company of the village of Pavlovo-2 in the Istra district of the Moscow region.

Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk

But according to some information, it is known that Voronenkov went to Ukraine to testify against Yanukovych, not without the presence of Kovbasyuk in this case. In this regard, questions arise for the manager of the law firm. Alexander Kotelkin During the period of Sergei Kovbasyuk’s work in the FSB, the special service was just developing the head of Rosvooruzheniye, Alexander Kotelkin.

Info

The security officers were interested in his professional activities. A native of Kyiv, Kotelkin was then called in the media as an agent in Russia for Ukrainian officials, businessmen and the mafia. Thanks to his participation, in 1996-1997, Ukraine “intercepted” arms contracts worth $1.5 billion from Russia.

Kotelkin was also suspected of organizing arms smuggling schemes. For this purpose the company "Cargotrans" was used. Arthur Zafarov In 2000, Kotelkin borrowed $750 thousand from his friend Boris Nemtsov, investing the money in the purchase of land near Kiev.

Sergey Kovbasyuk and “lawyers and business”

According to these ratings, Russia ranks worst among the BRIC countries. Is it possible that the research on the Russian Federation is carried out by representatives of the Lawyers and Business Bureau? Also partners of Gestors are Andrey Tsvetkov and Yaroslav Snigur, who are senior experts on the implementation of legislation and implementation of policies within the framework of the EU project “Support for the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.” After Crimea was annexed by Russia, Gestors has been trying for several years to find a legal basis for the international community about the illegality of this annexation.
In addition, the company is involved in drawing up documents for the transfer of property of Crimean enterprises located abroad to the jurisdiction of Ukraine, indicating in press releases that Crimea has been occupied.

Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich arrest

Sergei Kovbasyuk was hired by the Investigative Department of the FSB of the Russian Federation in 1997, but in 2000, for unknown reasons, Sergei was fired. But during his work, the FSB was developing Alexander Kotelkin, with whom fate would later connect him. In 2001, Kovbasyuk unexpectedly became deputy general director of the newly formed Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.”

Historical buildings and architectural monuments were transferred to the balance of this organization. Subsequently, some of the buildings were leased to businessmen, and the other part was completely sold out. The proceeds, sources believe, from these cases fell into the accounts of the heads of the federal state unitary enterprise.
As for the friendship with Denis Voronenkov, fate either brought them together with Kovbasyuk on the topic of commerce, then moved them away again.

Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich

Sources believe that the real owners of the law firm are in Ukraine, where until 2014 Sergei Kovbasyuk constantly flew, where, according to some reports, he met with representatives of the SBU, lawyers and other people. After Crimea became part of Russia, Kovbasyuk appeared in Ukraine less often, in particular using workarounds. Gestors Former mayor of Kyiv Leonid Chernovetsky (Lenya Cosmos) is one of the main clients of Gestors.

In addition to him, lawyers also serve members of his team, who currently occupy high positions in the office of Petro Poroshenko. The management of Gestors also gets along well with representatives of the SBU, who entrust certain foreign projects to lawyers. In particular, this concerns cooperation with the American organization “World Justice Project” and participation in compiling its ratings for the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Subsequently, Voronenkov was put on the wanted list in Russia for the raider seizure of the Toma enterprise, to which Kovbasyuk’s company was related. In 2015, Kovbasyuk attempted a raider takeover of the management company of the village of Pavlovo-2 in the Istra district of the Moscow region. He acquired several plots in the village and offered to sell him the village communications, which were owned by the management company.

Later it became known that Kovbasyuk planned to build a hotel on his land, and residents opposed the lawyer. Kovbasyuk's bureau also serves the interests of IKEA. As journalists from the Swedish newspaper Expressen wrote, they received a document from IKEA, which ordered them to collect dossiers on Russian lawyers and officials, study, using sources in the police and intelligence services, the possibility of blackmailing opponents, etc.

Some company disputes are “settled” personally.
According to S. Kovbasyuk, the authorities of the Bryansk region allocated 32 hectares of land to the peasant farm "SVK Agro" for the construction of the enterprise. Kovbasyuk expects to occupy up to 30% of the country’s market for rabbit meat, and then achieve a dominant position and become the largest producer of rabbit meat in Russia. [edit] Social activities Being one of their residents, he is among the initiative group of the elite cottage village Pavlovo-2 and the Association of Real Estate Owners in the case against the developers OPIN. The owners of houses and plots of the elite Pavlovo-2 village near Moscow intend to go to court to recover 1 billion 263 million 166 thousand from the developer Stroy Group LLC.

According to sources, the Moscow law bureau “Lawyers and Business” is completely controlled by the Ukrainian company “Gestors”. The latter is known for cooperating with the SBU, and also took part in the drafting of legal documents that substantiated for international authorities why Crimea, in their opinion, was illegally annexed to the Russian Federation.

The manager of the Lawyers and Business Bureau, Sergei Kovbasyuk, has recently become of interest to the Russian intelligence services. As a source in the security forces explained, during the investigation of several high-profile crimes committed in recent years on Russian territory, they come across the name of this man. First of all, security forces are interested in the question of Kovbasyuk’s relationship with one of the leaders of the Right Sector organization banned in Russia. There are also questions regarding high-profile murders and.

Kovbasyuk’s official biography states that in 1997 he graduated from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. At the same time, but two years older, Denis Voronenkov also studied here. According to some information, both students became quite close friends. They even tried to solve some problems for businessmen, acting as “fixers”, of whom there are a huge number in Russia now.

Denis Voronenkov, having graduated from the university, went to the military prosecutor's office, fortunately, connections were allowed. But he stayed there for only four years, after which he was fired. But later he went into politics, where he succeeded, but, as history has shown, the matter ultimately ended in murder at the hands of a killer.

Sergei Kovbasyuk was hired by the Investigative Department of the FSB of the Russian Federation in 1997, but in 2000, for unknown reasons, Sergei was fired. But during his work, the FSB was developing Alexander Kotelkin, with whom fate would later connect him.

In 2001, Kovbasyuk unexpectedly became deputy general director of the newly formed Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.” Historical buildings and architectural monuments were transferred to the balance of this organization. Subsequently, some of the buildings were leased to businessmen, and the other part was completely sold off. The proceeds, sources believe, from these cases fell into the accounts of the heads of the federal state unitary enterprise.

As for the friendship with Denis Voronenkov, fate either brought them together with Kovbasyuk on the topic of commerce, then moved them away again. But according to some information, it is known that Voronenkov went to Ukraine to testify against Yanukovych, not without the presence of Kovbasyuk in this case. In this regard, questions arise for the manager of the law firm.

Alexander Kotelkin

During the period of Sergei Kovbasyuk’s work in the FSB, the special service was developing the head of Rosvooruzheniye, Alexander Kotelkin. The security officers were interested in his professional activities. A native of Kyiv, Kotelkin was then called in the media as an agent in Russia for Ukrainian officials, businessmen, etc. Thanks to his participation, in 1996-1997, Ukraine “intercepted” arms contracts worth $1.5 billion from Russia. Kotelkin was also suspected of organizing arms smuggling schemes. For this purpose the company "Cargotrans" was used.

In 2000, Kotelkin borrowed $750 thousand from his friend Boris Nemtsov, investing the money in the purchase of land near Kiev. However, when the time came to repay the debt, Kotelkin did not do it. As a result, Nemtsov was forced to go to court. As a result of this, all the assets of the former head of Rosvooruzhenie were under threat of confiscation in favor of Nemtsov. At the trial, Kotelkin was represented by lawyers from the Lawyers and Business bureau - Sergey Kovbasyuk and Artur Zafarov.

In February 2015, Boris Nemtsov was killed, and the debt issue seemed to resolve itself. Meanwhile, according to the source, investigators were working on this version of the murder, among many others. In the future, those from Chechnya who committed the murder will be detained, but the masterminds have not yet been identified. However, the defendants in this case tell their version of what happened. Allegedly, their accomplice Beslan Shavanov, recruited by the SBU, arrived in Moscow with the task of killing Nemtsov. Hence, the investigation has a question regarding the motive for the murder - what goal did the customers pursue, to destabilize the political situation, or to solve their financial problems.

Asset census

Even at the stage of the trials with Nemtsov, Alexander Kotelkin transferred the assets under his control to his lawyers - Kovbasyuk and Zafarov. Thus, the lawyers became the owners of Tver-Safari LLC, the largest hunting enterprise in the Tver region. And the previously mentioned company “Cargotrans” also passed into the hands of lawyers. Along with her, Kovbasyuk also got a mansion, in which the Moscow representative office of the Ukrainian bureau “Gestors” - “Lawyers and Business”, headed by Zafarov under the leadership of Kovbasyuk, was opened.

Sources believe that the real owners of the law firm are in Ukraine, where until 2014 Sergei Kovbasyuk constantly flew, where, according to some reports, he met with representatives of the SBU, lawyers and other people. After Crimea became part of Russia, Kovbasyuk appeared in Ukraine less often, in particular using workarounds.

Gestors

The former mayor of Kyiv Leonid Chernovetsky (Lenya Cosmos) is one of the main clients of Gestors. In addition to him, lawyers also serve members of his team, who currently occupy high positions in the office of Petro Poroshenko. The management of Gestors also gets along well with representatives of the SBU, who entrust certain foreign projects to lawyers. In particular, this concerns cooperation with the American organization “World Justice Project” and participation in compiling its ratings for the countries of the former Soviet Union. According to these ratings, Russia ranks worst among the BRIC countries. Is it possible that the research on the Russian Federation is carried out by representatives of the Lawyers and Business Bureau?

Also partners of Gestors are Andrey Tsvetkov and Yaroslav Snigur, who are senior experts on the implementation of legislation and implementation of policies within the framework of the EU project “Support for the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.”

After Crimea was annexed by Russia, Gestors has been trying for several years to find a legal basis for the international community about the illegality of this annexation. In addition, the company is involved in drawing up documents for the transfer of property of Crimean enterprises located abroad to the jurisdiction of Ukraine, indicating in press releases that Crimea has been occupied.

By all factors, Gestors is opposed to Russia, and therefore this is where the company needs its agents of influence. Isn’t that why they opened the “Lawyers and Business” representative office?

IKEA interests

“Lawyers and Business” serves the interests of the Swedish giant company IKEA. As Swedish journalists wrote, they received a rather interesting document from this company, which states what strategy must be followed in order to conquer the market. One of the points reads: “Collect dossiers on Russian lawyers and officials”; “Carefully study, using sources in the police and intelligence services, the possibilities of blackmailing opponents”; “Establish contacts between Ikea and the Russian security service and federal police.” In fact, this is for persons interested in the company, and officials at that.

It is Kovbasyuk who resolves some of the company’s disputes. According to Swedish publications, in 2009, IKEA tried to give a bribe of 350 thousand euros to a Moscow judge who was considering the company’s case. All legal matters of IKEA in Moscow are handled by “Lawyers and Business”.

Rosvooruzhenie In the FSB, Kovbasyuk served in the military counterintelligence investigation, which developed the head of Rosvooruzhenie, A. Kotelkin. The media called Kyiv-born Kotelkin an agent in Russia for Ukrainian officials, businessmen and the mafia. Thanks to his efforts, in 1996-1997, Ukraine became the fourth largest arms supplier in the world and “intercepted” contracts worth $1.5 billion from Moscow. Kotelkin was considered a participant in schemes for smuggling arms supplies, including to Ukraine, for which he created the company “ Cargotrans". In 2001, Kotelkin lost all his posts, and his interests began to be represented by two lawyers - Kovbasyuk and Artur Zafarov - the main figures in Lawyers & Business. They acted on Kotelkin’s side in his litigation with Boris Nemtsov. Fleeing from debts to Nemtsov, Kotelkin transferred his assets to Kovbasyuk and Zafarov.

Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich

Three of Kovbasyuk’s lawyers, who took turns expressing arguments in support - positive characteristics, marital status, cooperation with the investigation - confirmed the possibility of making a multimillion-dollar bail. “If the court considers the amount insufficient, we can consider increasing it,” one of the defenders smiled. Representatives of the Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office in their objections called the new testimony of the lawyer “relatively appreciative” and expressed concern that the accused could put pressure on witnesses, thanks to extensive connections in law enforcement agencies (Sergei Kovbasyuk is a former investigator of the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia). They also noted the particular gravity of the crime committed.
Judge Marina Syrova took a pause of almost an hour and a half to make her decision.

Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk - biography, information, personal life

Attention

In the list of companies with the highest revenue for 2016, the bureau was placed in 17th place. Among other things, the bureau was included in the rating of the best Russian firms in the group of arbitration proceedings. Business As an investor in SVK Agro, S. Kovbasyuk decided to open a rabbit farm in one of the regions of Russia.

In June 2017, SVK Agro will launch a rabbit meat production complex with a total cost of 1.2 billion rubles. The final production volume will be 600 tons per year. According to S. Kovbasyuk, the authorities of the Bryansk region allocated 32 hectares of land to the peasant farm "SVK Agro" for the construction of the enterprise.
Kovbasyuk expects to occupy up to 30% of the country’s market for rabbit meat, and then achieve a dominant position and become the largest producer of rabbit meat in Russia. Personal life Sergei Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk is married.

Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk - biography

Lawyers and Business” The company was founded in 1994 as a law firm, from which a law office was formed in 2003. Over the entire period of its work, the bureau has proven itself to be a reliable partner for business in resolving various legal issues. From the very beginning of its existence, the company has taken one of the leading positions among legal entities.

A professional team of lawyers and advocates is guided by the highest standards and best traditions of the Russian legal profession. Over 23 years of work, a team of specialists with high professional experience has been created. The bureau's lawyers have been repeatedly invited as experts on Russian law.
The quality of the bureau’s work is positively noted by the information portal “Pravo.ru”. According to the annual ranking of law firms, the bureau has become the leader in terms of revenue per lawyer among firms with a staff of less than thirty people.

Lawyer Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich

Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The utronews.org article “Sergey Kovbasyuk: Russian by passport, but Ukrainian at heart” claims that the Lawyers and Business bureau headed by Kovbasyuk, through affiliates, is controlled by the Ukrainian law firm “Gestors”, whose representatives cooperate with the SBU and also trained for international instance for Ukraine, the legal basis for the claim regarding the annexation of Crimea to Russia. Content

• 1 Biography
  • 1.1 Advocacy
  • 1.2 Awards and achievements
  • 1.3 Business
  • 1.4 Social activities
• 2 Rosvooruzhenie
• 3 "Gestors"
• 4 Voronenkov
• 5 Pavlovo-2
• 6 Collaboration with IKEA
• 7 Rabbit breeding
• 8 Personal life
• 9 Sources
• 10 Links

In 1997, he graduated from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk

According to Swedish publications, in 2009, IKEA tried to give a bribe of € 350 thousand to the Moscow judge who was considering the company’s case. In August 2016, searches were carried out at the IKEA central office. Law enforcement officers explained that the searches were being carried out in connection with a criminal case surrounding an old land dispute.

Sergey Kovbasyuk also launched a rabbit breeding project in the Bryansk region, which is supervised by Governor Alexander Bogomaz. It is planned to invest more than 1 billion rubles in the SVK AGRO industrial rabbit breeding complex, designed for 4,000 animals, although experts say that the price is at least twice as high.

Sergey Kovbasyuk and “lawyers and business”

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Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich arrest

Sergei Kovbasyuk, 42-year-old lawyer, founder and manager of the Moscow law firm “Lawyers and Business”, charged under Part 5 of Art. 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (giving a bribe on an especially large scale; provides, in particular, for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 8 to 15 years) On January 23, 2018, the Khamovniki Court of the city of Moscow was released on bail in the amount of 20 million rubles. Sergei Kovbasyuk was taken to court in handcuffs at about three o'clock in the afternoon. The lawyer, wearing a light jacket, sweatpants and dress shoes, from which the convoy had prudently removed the laces, looked very tired. He had been in detainee status for three days already, after he was summoned to the Investigative Committee of the Central Administrative District of Moscow on the evening of January 19 and interrogated following the filing of charges.

Kovbasyuk Sergey Vladimirovich

Info

In 2001, he assumed the position of Deputy General Director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation”. In addition, since 2001 he has been a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association “Advocate Partnership”. In 2005 he became the head of the capital's law bureau "Lawyers and Business".

Important

In October 2011, he joined the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Sergei Vladimirovich is married. He and his wife are raising three children. Companies S.V. Kovbasyuk is the head of: 1) MOSCOW LAWYER'S BUREAU "LAWYERS AND BUSINESS".

Registration address: 109029, city of Moscow, Talalikhina Street, 1, 2. TIN: 7709418390 / KPP: 770901001 / OGRN: 1037709034285. It is the founder: 2) Kargotrans LLC - a limited liability company "Freight Transport Company". Registration address: 143007, Moscow Region, Odintsovo District, Odintsovo City, Privokzalnaya Square, 2B.

Sergey Kovbasyuk: biography Sergey Vladimirovich Kovbasyuk is a Russian lawyer, professional agricultural investor - founder and head of the Lawyers and Business bureau, investor in SVK Agro. Member of the Moscow Bar Association. He was a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. S. Kovbasyuk was born on April 30, 1975 in Samara. Graduated from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Moscow.

Worked as an investigator for the Investigation Department of the FSB of Russia. In 2001, he assumed the position of Deputy General Director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation”. In addition, since 2001 he has been a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association “Advocate Partnership”. In 2005 he became the head of the capital's law bureau "Lawyers and Business". In October 2011, he joined the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Registration address: 115035, City of Moscow, Pyatnitskaya Street, Building 14, Building 1, Floor 2, Room 2, Room 2. INN: 9705087328 / KPP: 770501001 / OGRN: 1177746094932. Founder: 7) CJSC "REAL ESTATE AGENCY" AND BIG TIME " - Closed joint-stock company "REAL ESTATE AGENCY "BIG TIME".

Registration address: 115035, City of Moscow, Pyatnitskaya Street, 14, Building 1. INN: 7705962881 / KPP: 770501001 / OGRN: 1117746745566. “Lawyers and Business” Moscow law bureau “Lawyers and Business”. Registration address: 109029, Moscow, Talalikhina Street, 1, 2. INN: 7709418390 / KPP: 770901001 / OGRN: 1037709034285. The company was founded in 1994 as a law firm, from which a law office was formed in 2003. Over the entire period of its work, the bureau has proven itself to be a reliable partner for business in resolving various legal issues.

: Russian by passport, but Ukrainian by heart.

Wikipedia has removed from its website the page with the biography of the manager of the Lawyers and Business law bureau, Sergei Kovbasyuk, which appeared quite recently. The managers of one of the most popular resources in the world considered information about Kovbasyuk “spam” and “self-promotion.” And they are absolutely right.

Since the beginning of 2017, this lawyer has been using the services of one PR agency, which publishes his comments on a paid basis in various media, for example, in the Interfax, Regnum and Pravo.ru agencies. Journalists are not interested in the free opinions of this lawyer. As part of this PR campaign, there was an attempt to “highlight” Kovbasyuk on Wikipedia. It ended in complete failure.

This activity to create a positive image is not at all accidental. “Clouds are gathering over Kovbasyuk’s head” and he has become the object of close attention of the Russian special services. The reason for this is simple. The fact is that the “Lawyers and Business” bureau headed by Kovbasyuk, through affiliates, is completely controlled by the Ukrainian law bureau “Gestors”. Representatives of the latter structure not only closely cooperate with the SBU, but also prepared a legal justification for Ukraine to international authorities for why Crimea allegedly illegally became part of Russia.

Kovbasyuk is the “hands and ears” in Russia of “Gestors” and those who stand behind the Ukrainian bureau. The Russian special services also have personal questions for him. For example, about his relationship with the Right Sector and in connection with the investigations into the murder of Boris Nemtsov and Denis Voronenkov.

Murdered friend Denis Voronenkov

The official biography of Kovbasyuk, which PR people tried to “push” into Wikipedia, is extremely laconic: “in 1997 - graduated from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. After graduation from the university, he worked as an investigator in the Investigation Department of the FSB of Russia. In 2001 - became Deputy General Director Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation." And since 2001 he began practicing law. Beyond this meager information there are many interesting points that we will try to fill in.

For example, at the Military University, Kovbasyuk studied together with Denis Voronenkov (the latter was two years older), with whom he became extremely friendly and then worked together for many years as a “solver” on a variety of topics. For this very “decision”, their careers in the law enforcement bloc suddenly ended. Voronenkov, after graduating in 1995, joined the military prosecutor's office, Kovbasyuk was hired by the Investigative Department of the FSB of the Russian Federation in 1997. The first one stayed in the prosecutor's office for four years, after which he was fired. The second one has even less experience - three years. In 2000, the FSB showed Kovbasyuk the door. Voronenkov was able to find a job as a referent in the apparatus of the Unity faction and as an adviser to the general director of the judicial department at the Supreme Court.

Kovbasyuk “proved” himself so well in the FSB that he didn’t even find such positions. In 2001, he became deputy general director of the newly created Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Administrative Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation" - an extremely interesting office. The sole purpose of its creation was to transfer historical buildings and architectural monuments to the balance sheet of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise. And then they were either rented out, with the proceeds settling with the management of the federal state unitary enterprise and those who had a hand in its creation, or were sold altogether.

As for the relationship between the “lawyers” Voronenkov and Kovbasyuk, fate either brought them together on various financial topics, or separated them. It is known that Kovbasyuk, who has extensive connections in Ukraine, had a hand in ensuring that Voronenkov ended up in Kyiv and testified there against Yanukovych. And, of course, now questions arise for him in connection with the execution of Voronenkov.

Killed enemy Boris Nemtsov

If we return to the biography of our hero, he worked at the Federal State Unitary Enterprise for less than a year and found himself in a free legal flight. Here fate brought him together with the former head of Rosvooruzhenie, Alexander Kotelkin. It was not by chance that I brought it together. In the FSB, Kovbasyuk served in the military counterintelligence investigation, which during this period was developing Kotelkin. The interest in him from the Russian intelligence services was related to his professional activities.

The media openly called Kyiv-born Kotelkin an agent in Russia for Ukrainian officials, businessmen and the mafia. Thanks to Kotelkin’s efforts, in 1996-1997 Ukraine became the world’s fourth largest supplier of weapons (and almost without producing them) and “intercepted” contracts worth $1.5 billion from Moscow.

Kotelkin was also considered an active participant in schemes for the smuggling of weapons, including to Ukraine; for these purposes, he even had a separate company under his control, Cargotrans.

In 2001, Kotelkin lost all government posts, and two lawyers, Sergei Kovbasyuk and Artur Zafarov, began to represent his interests. Now they are the main figures in the Lawyers and Business bureau. In particular, they sided with Kotelkin in his protracted legal battles with Boris Nemtsov.

Sergey Kavbasyuk

In the 2000s, Kotelkin borrowed $750 thousand from his friend Boris Nemtsov and invested in the purchase of land near Kiev. He refused to repay the debt. As a result, the ex-head of Rosvooruzhenie lost all his cases to Nemtsov, and his assets were under threat. And in February 2015, Boris Nemtsov was killed. The RF Investigative Committee, among other things, studied the connection between the crime and Kotelkin’s debts. But then the perpetrators, natives of Chechnya, were detained. The customers have not been identified, the investigation continues.

During interrogations, the accused themselves put forward a version that one of the accomplices, Beslan Shavanov, came to Ukraine to fight as part of the ATO, was recruited by the SBU and sent to Moscow in order to eliminate Nemtsov. If, as part of the search for “customers,” this information is confirmed, then the Russian special services will have many questions for Kovbasyuk. Especially considering that Lawyers and Business is a subsidiary of Gestors, closely associated with the SBU. For example, operatives will have to find out whether the goal of the “customers” was only to destabilize the situation in Russia with a high-profile crime or whether there was a second motive, financial. After all, after Nemtsov’s death, the issue of debt repayment disappeared.

Ukrainian agent Sergey Kovbasyuk

Fleeing from debts to Nemtsov, Kotelkin chose to transfer controlled assets to lawyers Kovbasyuk and Zafarov. However, it is not clear whether these were the assets of the ex-head of Rosvooruzhenie himself or their real owners were his curators from Ukraine, who decided that Kotelkin’s time had passed and the time had come for new agents in the person of young lawyers. One way or another, overnight Kovbasyuk and Zafarov became the owners of Tver-Safari LLC (a large hunting enterprise created by Kotelkin in the Tver region) and the Cargotrans company. Together with the last structure, Kovbasyuk received a mansion located at Pyatnitskaya Street, building 14, building 1.

Arthur Zafarov

There, the Moscow representative office of the Ukrainian bureau "Gestors" was immediately opened, headed by Zafarov, and at the same time - "Lawyers and Business" under the leadership of Kovbasyuk. Zafarov is the owner of 50% of Lawyers and Business. However, in fact, the Moscow representative office of “Gestors” and “Lawyers and Business” is a single structure, with real owners in Ukraine. This is evidenced by the fact that until 2014, Kovbasyuk flew to Ukraine for work, where he met with representatives of the SBU, local lawyers, etc. After 2014 (when Crimea ceded to the Russian Federation), these visits decreased and the lawyer is already using workarounds, including transit through Georgia.

What Kovbasyuk discussed with his curators during his visits to Ukraine can be guessed from the extensive activities of Gestors, which are not at all compatible with the interests of Russia. The main client of Gestors is the ex-mayor of Kyiv Leonid Chernovetsky (Lenya Cosmos) and members of his large team. Many of them now work in responsible positions in Petro Poroshenko’s team.

The management of Gestors is on good terms not only with members of Poroshenko’s team, but also with representatives of the SBU. As a result, this law office is trusted with individual foreign projects. Thus, “Gestors” has been cooperating for many years with the American organization “World Justice Project” and participates in compiling its ratings for the countries of the former USSR. As a result of such “successful” work of Gestors, Russia in these reports shows the worst results among the countries included in the BRIC group. So, interestingly, research on the Russian Federation is not carried out for an hour by the heads of the Moscow branch, Kovbasyuk and Zafarov?

Gestors partners Andrey Tsvetkov and Yaroslav Snigur are senior experts on the implementation of legislation and policy implementation within the framework of the EU project “Support for the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU”.

Since 2014, Gestors lawyers have been constantly searching for legal justification for international organizations for the illegality of the annexation of Crimea to Russia.

Gestors is also authorized by the Ukrainian authorities to find property abroad that belongs to Crimean enterprises and transfer it to the jurisdiction of Ukraine. In its press releases about the successes in confiscating the property of enterprises on the peninsula, Gestors certainly indicates that Crimea has been subjected to “occupation.”

It is clear that in such extensive activities against the interests of Russia, one cannot do without loyal agents on the territory of the Russian Federation. Moreover, there is no need to hide them, it is enough to open a completely legal representative office and the “Lawyers and Business” bureau.

Compromising evidence on Russian officials

Therefore, it is not surprising that Kovbasyuk’s biography on Wikipedia turned out to be so short. You can’t talk about successful activities against the “occupation” of Crimea. Or you won’t indicate in it your relative Yaroslav Gurnyak, who, according to media reports, was one of the leaders of the Lvov nationalist movement “Trident”, from which the “Right Sector” (an organization banned in Russia) grew, and took an active part in the events in Maidan, and then in the pogroms in Kharkov.

Well, you certainly shouldn’t, in your Wikipedia biography, refer to an article in the Swedish newspaper Expressen about the peculiarities of the activities in Russia of IKEA, the main client of Lawyers and Business, whose problems have been resolved by Kovbasyuk for many years with the help of “resolves”.

Swedish journalists received the secret strategy of the capital division of IKEA, compiled with the “help of external consultants” (Who do you think these “consultants” were? Not representatives of “Lawyers and Business” for an hour?). It meant the following points: “Collect dossiers on Russian lawyers and officials”; “Carefully study, using sources in the police and intelligence services, the possibilities of blackmailing opponents”; “Establish contacts between Ikea and the Russian security service and federal police.”

Also, according to the Swedish publication Expressen, in 2009, IKEA, through intermediaries (certain lawyers), tried to give a bribe of 350 thousand euros to a judge of one of the arbitration courts in the Moscow region in order to make the decision the company needed.

And all legal issues of IKEA in Moscow are dealt with exclusively by Kovbasyuk and his subordinates at Lawyers Business. By the way, I wonder if incriminating evidence on Russian officials should have been collected exclusively for IKEA or also in the interests of Ukrainian senior partners?

If Kovbasyuk’s PR people had reflected all these facts in his biography, it would have turned out complete and interesting. And maybe Wikipedia wouldn't remove his page.