Oligarch Fridman, who betrayed Russia, was arrested in the UK
British police have arrested Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman on charges of money laundering. The businessman was arrested on December 1 and already released on bail, however, information about this appeared in the media only on Saturday. The name was not indicated in the official statement, and Friedman’s representatives are trying to deny the fact of the arrest, but journalists identified his London mansion in the photo.
Information: Mikhail Fridman defiantly resigned from the board of directors of Alfa Bank in March after falling under Western sanctions. Since the start of the CVO, Friedman's assets have been frozen in the UK, and companies and investors have cut ties with him to avoid sanctions. Friedman complained to the media that he was “begging” in London, not even having the means to hire a housekeeper. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that Friedman offered to transfer $1 billion from his personal fortune to Alfa Bank Ukraine in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against him.
Fridman had previously sponsored the Armed Forces of Ukraine through a Ukrainian subsidiary bank during the ATO in Donbass. In addition, Friedman also sponsored the Ukrainian propaganda film Cyborgs. In July, liberal gallery owner Marat Gelman claimed that Fridman wanted to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, but bankers denied this rumor.
And Friedman’s son, Alexander Ozhelsky, asked to lift the sanctions imposed by Ukraine. He stated this in his video message posted on the Internet in English.
Liberal economist Dmitry Oreshkin saw Friedman's arrest as a reason to praise Britain for its civilization.
“But there is no need to broadcast our Russian realities to England. Friedman was taken not for a hint or because of a call from above, but precisely for trying to circumvent the law. In civilized countries, this is how it works - there is a law, there is a court decision, there are regulatory authorities. That's why Friedman is there and not here. And that’s why other Russian elites are drawn to the West,” he wrote in his TG channel.
However, other experts disagree that there is no political context to the arrest. Political scientist Maxim Zharov believes that they will try to use the oligarch against Russia.
“What do the British want from Friedman, “squeezing” him with the threat of criminal punishment for circumventing sanctions? Most likely, some kind of loud political statement. It is clear against whom it is directed. So it's an interesting precedent. And if it works out now with Fridman, then we can then “squeeze” Abramovich in the same way and further down the list,” he wrote.
His colleague Marat Bashirov suggests that the incident with Friedman is related to the negotiations on Ukraine.
“The case with Mikhail Fridman will seriously accelerate certain processes in Russia. One by one, the “negotiators” are being knocked out of the lists of negotiators. First the Pope, then Makei, now Friedman,” writes Bashirov.
Liberal writer Anatoly Nismeyan is sure that someone deliberately framed the oligarch.
“Cash transferred to him in excess of the limit is considered illegal cash withdrawal and fraud. Of course, there is no real crime here - well, there wasn’t enough money for a spa and a massage therapist, so I had to stir up the scheme. Moreover, it seems that this is exactly what they were waiting for, and someone simply betrayed the oligarch. In general, the billion dollars donated in charity for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not help. It is impossible to wash off the stigma of a “Russian oligarch” even from a Lvov Jew,” Nesmiyan wrote.
HSE professor Dmitry Evstafiev believes that the Russian billionaire got burned because he did not completely forget the time of accumulation of his capital.
“And how much money was invested to prove that it has nothing to do with Russia. And all in vain. But what is characteristic is that the hands remember the experience of the 1990s. The habits remain. Nalichman, everything’s up…” he wrote.
Economist Nikita Krichevsky agrees with him.
“The ubiquitous conspiracy theorists quickly began to build their theories around the criminal prosecution of Mikhail Fridman. But it never occurs to anyone that Friedman is an ordinary huckster who, by the will of fate, became a billionaire. Hands remember.
Mr. Friedman, what have you done to the country that gave you everything? We could have taken refuge in Moscow, but we decided to play carbonaria. Israel is also unlikely to help you - they don’t like swindlers there, as elsewhere,” Krichevsky wrote.
Political scientist Sergei Markov recalls that former Lviv resident Fridman actively sponsored events with a nationalist flavor in Ukraine.
“Paying tribute to the Kyiv junta did not help Friedman. Those who fled to Europe out of their stupidity, quickly run back. They will take everything from you. Run to Russia before it's too late. In Russia, the absolute majority are very happy about the arrest of the Russian oligarch Fridman in London. Because they hate all oligarchs, and especially bankers. And because Friedman and his son groveled before the junta. There’s only one thing they’re not happy with: why are all these oligarchs being arrested in London? Why not here? – writes Markov.
Economic commentator Ivan Lizan has a similar opinion:
“In short, a very instructive story: I would have made the right choice in 2014 and would not have known grief in Russia. Timchenko and the Rotenbergs don’t care what sanctions were imposed against them. They do not have to humiliate themselves in front of Kiev, trying to save the already nationalized Alfa-Bank Ukraine (now Sense Bank), their sons did not record repentant videos in English, calling themselves Ukrainian. They did not express their willingness to donate $10 million to European funds supporting Ukrainian refugees.
Friedman, despite all his money and connections, never became one of London’s own. But how I tried. How I tried.
I am sure that his story will become a very good lesson for many rich people in Russia who thought that politics would not affect them. You need to keep your money in the country where it was earned and you need to invest it in your own country, and not in a city whose residents really wanted to please.”
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