Monika Kryemadhi’s Russian connections; Files shows payments from companies of Putin’s oligarks
30/03/2023 16:09
Assembly reinstates all the expelled members of the opposition except former Prime Minister Berisha 15/04 21:18
At the official address of Top Channel, an e-mail with sensitive data has been received a few days ago, which sheds light on the involvement of Monika Kryemadhi, former head of SMI party, in suspicious financing and payments from “offshore” companies controlled by Russian oil businessmen.
To our knowledge, these data have also been sent to other media in Albania. The email is anonymous, sent by the ‘proton’ platform, but after verification the documents look authentic.
They show details and evidence of Kryemadhi’s Russian ties to companies that have been denounced as sponsors of Vladimir Putin’s party in Russia.
The file contains facts of suspicious payments, made and received by Monika Kryemadhi, an Albanian high politician and the wife of the former president of Albania, Ilir Meta.
The facts revealed show that in 2017, Kryemadhi made and received these suspicious payments from offshore bank accounts of companies controlled by Russian oil businessmen.
The facts are as follows:
The document states that Kryemadhi received two payments to her bank account at Banco Espirito Santo SA, on February 15, 2017 when she received a payment of 5,350 euros from the Holdem company. On May 23, 2018, another payment of 13,500 euros, was made again by Holdem.
Through the ownership of one of these companies, Alexander Smizukov, a multimillionaire Russian businessman and his business partner Alexander Kaplan, are also believed to be behind the Holdem company.
Smizukov has been called a “shadow oligarch” in Russian media reports.
He maintained close ties to currently sanctioned Russian oligarchs such as Viktor Vekselberg and Mikhail Fridman while he was vice president at oil giant TNK-BP.
This document (Dokumenti 1) also shows that Kryemadhi made a payment from her bank account at Credit Agricole (Suisse) SA in Zurich (IBAN: CH04087410085921800021) of €8,374 to a company registered in Cyprus, Vradus Holdings Ltd.
In a 2012 interview with Forbes, Savvin reported that he continued to own Magnatek through Vradus (see Dokument 19), therefore Savvin was the ultimate owner of Vradus.
Savvin previously served as general director of the network of Smizukov Magistral gas stations.
Magnatek came under investigation by Forbes when it emerged that the company was one of the biggest donors to Russia’s ruling political party, United Russia.
In 2016, Savvin was declared bankrupt by the Supreme Court of Russia (see Dokument 20).
Magnatek was also liquidated in 2022 following bankruptcy proceedings that began in 2015 (see Dokument 21, Dokument 22, Dokument 23, Dokument 24).
Both Savvin and Magnatek were subsequently declared bankrupt.
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