A quiet billionaire from the state-owned Russian Railways

Today, Rucriminal.info’s investigation about Valentin Mikhailovich Sanko, who has been working since April 2016 as the director of JSC Russian Railways for the energy complex — the head of Transenergo with a salary of 2,300,000 rubles per month.

Before this, he worked:

- Advisor to the General Director of JSC RAO ES Vostoka 2009–2012, the average salary of V.M. Sanko was 8,000 rubles per month.

- Advisor to the General Director of JSC High-Speed ​​Highways in 2014–2015, the average salary of V.M. Sanko was, according to the 2NDFL certificate, 200,000 rubles per month.

The main occupation of V.M. Sanko in the period from 2008 to September 2016, he managed the business of his holding company, which included JSC Promenergobank.

According to the source, the shares of JSC Promenergobank owned by Sanko V.M. were registered to his closest relatives and partners — Kuzminsky Alexander Nikolaevich, Tarlinsky Oleg Vadimovich, daughter Kosterenko Ksenia Valentinovna and second wife (common-law) Pavlova Yulia Vladimirovna.

10% of the Bank’s shares were registered to Sanko V.M.’s friends — Letnikov Nikolai Gavrilovich (former head of the Chubais A.B. apparatus at RAO UES, member of the board of RAO UES) and Sannikov Aleksey Valerievich (former deputy general director of JSC Holding MRSK, dismissed on corruption grounds).

From 2008 to 2016, V. M. Sanko had no income from the enterprises he owned, since their activities generated only losses. V. M. Sanko himself and members of his two families lived comfortably and acquired numerous real estate properties using the funds stolen by V. M. Sanko from depositors of JSC Promenergobank, which V. M. Sanko periodically withdrew outside the Bank in favor of his enterprises: City Auto LLC, Trespan LLC, VVSES OJSC, Vologodskaya MK-19 OJSC and others under the guise of issuing loans and concluding agreements on the assignment of claims.

V. M. Sanko had two families at the same time, requiring large expenses for their maintenance, one official family: wife — Sanko Antonina Viktorovna, daughter — Kosterenko Ksenia Valentinovna, son — Sanko Mikhail Valentinovich and the second unofficial: common-law wife Pavlova Yulia Vladimirovna, daughter — Pavlova Anna Valentinovna, son — Pavlov Kirill Valentinovich, son — Pavlov Vladimir Valentinovich. None of the members of the two families of Sanko V.M. ever worked, all the money for their maintenance has always been allocated and is currently allocated by Sanko V.M., which costs the enterprises where he works a tidy sum.

As a result of the constant withdrawal of funds from JSC "Promenergobank" by Sanko V.M. for his personal needs in astronomical amounts, the Bank completely lost its own capital and ceased to fulfill obligations to creditors. By order of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation dated 05.08.2016 No. OD-2524, the license of JSC Promenergobank to carry out banking operations was revoked, by the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Vologda Region dated 19.10.2016 in case No.

Currently, the amount of unsatisfied claims of the Bank’s creditors is more than a billion rubles.

In December 2021, the ASV Group conducted an inspection of the circumstances of the bankruptcy of JSC Promenergobank and prepared a "Conclusion based on the results of an additional inspection of the circumstances of the bankruptcy dated 23.12.2021".

Based on the results of the inspection, on February 11, 2022, the ASV Group sent an application to the UMVD of Russia for the Vologda Region to initiate a criminal case against the beneficiary of the Bank V.M. Sanko, N.G. Litnikova, O.V. Tarlinsky. and other executives under Part 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code (theft) Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud).

According to the opinion of the ASV Group, the said persons caused damage to the Bank in the amount of 1,266,854,058 rubles by concluding a number of transactions on the assignment of the right to claim market assets at a significant discount, accepting real estate at an inflated price as compensation, and overstating expenses under contracts (paragraph 3, p. 47 of the Conclusion of the ASV Group based on the results of an additional audit).

The Bank’s funds were withdrawn by V. M. Sanko, N. G. Letnikov, O. V. Tarlinsky, together with other executives of the Bank, also under the guise of issuing loans to enterprises belonging to them, legalized and accumulated in City Auto LLC and Trespan LLC, which are under the control of V. M. Sanko.

City Auto LLC was a technical enterprise created for the legalization of funds and did not conduct any real business activity. The company’s revenue in 2015 was only 2,000,000 rubles.

The general director of City Auto LLC was his girlfriend Sanko V.M.-Kruglenya Marina Nikolaevna, and the owner of 100% of the shares of City Auto LLC was his long-time partner Sorokin Valery Anatolyevich.

According to the conclusion of the State Security Service, the main damage to the Bank was caused by the transactions of the right of claim with OOO City Auto.

In addition, V. M. Sanko, having demonstrated remarkable criminal talent, a month before the bankruptcy of the Bank belonging to him, managed to sell JSC Promenergobank for 170,000,000 rubles to two buyers — individuals Golubeva L. I. and Gorokhov V. A., having deceived the latter regarding its financial condition.

With the funds of depositors stolen from JSC Promenergobank and the stolen funds of buyers of shares of the bankrupt Bank in the amount of 1,200,000,000 rubles, V. M. Sanko and his relatives, who did not work anywhere for a day, acquired:

- three villas in Croatia (Liznjan, Rovinj and Peroj) with a market value of 3,000,000 US dollars. The villas are registered to the company Letniko D.O.O. (Croatia). The founder of Letniko D.O.O. is the common-law wife of Sanko V.M. — Pavlova Yu.V., the director is the personal lawyer of Sanko V.M. — Obiedkov I.K.

- a yacht worth 911,986.92 euros (located in Croatia). The yacht is also registered to Letniko D.O.O.

- three office centers for rent in Moscow with a market value of 525,000,000 rubles, namely: a building with a total area of ​​2,917.9 sq.m., located at the address: Moscow, ul. Mytnaya, 21; a building with a total area of ​​2,768.3 sq.m., located at the address: Moscow, ul. pr. 2-y Verkhniy Mikhailovsky, 9, bldg. 5; building, with a total area of ​​2,058.6 sq.m., located at the address: Moscow, Novorogozhskaya St., 32, building 1.

The office centers owned by V. M. Sanko are registered to Trespan LLC, INN 7725538261, which is completely under his control. The manager of Trespan LLC is V. M. Sanko’s lawyer — Ivan Konstantinovich Obyedkov, and the owner of 100% of the shares of the main founder of Trespan LLC — Larrow Limited (Cyprus) — V. M. Sanko’s assistant at Russian Railways, who is also the nominal shareholder of the Bank, Alexander Nikolaevich Kuzminsky.

- an apartment with an area of ​​236 sq.m. and two parking spaces at the address: Moscow, 1st Neopalimovsky Lane, Building 8, Apt. 27, 236 sq.m., cadastral number of the apartment 77:01:0005002:2647, cadastral numbers of the parking spaces 77:01:0005002:4769, 77:01:0005002:4783 with a market value of RUB 300,000,000. The apartment is registered to V.M. Sanko personally. — a country house with an area of ​​1,100,000 sq.m. on Novaya Riga on a leased forest fund land plot by OOO "Spectr" INN 7731541801 with cadastral number 50:08:0050137:4 quarter 5-D allotment 7-9 with a market value of 150,000,000 rubles. The share of the authorized capital in OOO "Spectr Maximum" is registered to Sanko V.M. personally.

- a country house with an area of ​​800 sq.m. at the address: Moscow region, Moscow, Desyonovskoye settlement, village Cherepovo, 15. with a market value of 100,000,000 rubles. Cadastral number of the land plot 50:21:0140218:429. The house is not officially registered in the Unified State Register of Real Estate in order to save on property taxes. The land plot is registered to Sanko V.M. — a residential building with an area of ​​572 sq.m. located at the following address: Moscow, Leninsky District, Zarechny settlement, house 32, with a market value of 70,000,000 rubles. Registered in the name of V. M. Sanko.

- a hunting lodge in the Vologda Oblast located at the following address: Vologda Oblast, Cherepovetsky District, Romanovo village, with a market value of 50,000,000 rubles. The real estate and land plots of the lodge are registered in the name of V. M. Sanko’s daughter, K. V. Kosterenko:

- the Zvezda shopping center with a total area of ​​1,740 sq.m. located at the following address: Vologda, Mira Street, house 76, with a market value of 70,000,000 rubles.

- a reinforced concrete plant located at the following address: Vologda, Nekrasova Street, house 60, with a market value of 100,000,000 rubles.

The Zvezda shopping center and the reinforced concrete plant are registered to Severenergosnab LLC, INN 3525112704, the owner of 100% of the authorized capital of which until 05/22/2024 was the daughter of V. M. Sanko — K. V. Kosterenko, since 05/22/2024 the owner of 100% of the authorized capital is the official wife of V. M. Sanko — A. V. Sanko.

- 40% of the share in the authorized capital of Studio LLC (OGRN 5147746436910) and Local Plus Group LLC (OGRN 5147746442663) (restaurant business) with a market value of RUB 20,000,000. It was registered to the daughter of V. M. Sanko — K. V. Kosterenko.

- an office building located at the following address: Vologda Oblast, Vologda, Nekrasov St., 60a, with a market value of RUB 40,000,000. The building is registered to OOO Center 911, INN 3510007390, the owner of 100% of the authorized capital of which is V. M. Sanko’s daughter, K. V. Kosterenko.

- an apartment, cadastral number 77:07:0013003:27775, located at the following address: Moscow, Michurinsky Ave., 56, apt. 1226, with an area of ​​83.9 sq. m., with a market value of RUB 25,000,000. Registered to V. M. Sanko’s daughter, K. V. Kosterenko.

- an apartment, cadastral number 77:07:0013003:27776, located at the following address: Moscow, Michurinsky Prospekt, 56, apt. 1227, with an area of ​​76.9 sq. m. and a market value of RUB 25,000,000. Registered in the name of V. M. Sanko’s daughter, K. V. Kosterenko.

- an apartment at the following address: Moscow, Olof Palme St., 1, apt. 245, with a market value of RUB 25,000,000. Registered in the name of V. M. Sanko’s official wife, A. V. Sanko.

In the spring of 2016, V. M. Sanko, having lost his source of financing in the form of funds from JSC “Pr omenergobank", with the help of money and influential acquaintances, got a high-paying job as director of the energy complex of Russian Railways and continued his activities to withdraw assets from JSC Russian Railways.

According to a source of Rucriminal.info, inside JSC Russian Railways, acting according to the scheme he had already worked out, Sanko V.M. created a criminal group consisting of the same people who had previously bankrupted JSC Promenergobank: Sorokin V.A., Kruglenya M.N., Kuzminsky A.N., Tarlinsky O.V., and Obyedkov I.K.

He arranged for Sorokina V.A., Kruglenya M.N. and Kuzminsky A.N. to work at JSC Russian Railways in various positions: Sorokin V.A. as his first deputy, Kruglenya M.N. as a personal secretary in the reception area, Kuzminsky A.N. in Transenergo.

100% of the authorized capital of Garantstroy LLC, INN 7735185985, controlled by V. M. Sanko, is registered to his old accomplice, O. V. Tarlinsky.

Garantstroy LLC was registered on November 15, 2019, with an average headcount of 12 people.

Immediately after registration, Russian Railways, through its 100% subsidiary, Energopromsbyt LLC, INN 7706284445, at the direction of V. M. Sanko, concluded contracts with Garantstroy LLC, which is under his control, at an inflated price.

OOO Energopromsbyt was a prosperous company, the net profit for 2019 amounted to 1,074,739,000 rubles, but after concluding contracts with OOO Garantstroy, the net profit fell sharply and amounted to only 16,997,000 rubles over three years (2020-2023).

The net profit of OOO Garantstroy from fulfilling contracts with OOO Energopromsbyt for the same period (2020 — 2023), on the contrary, increased sharply and amounted to 2,495,590,000 rubles according to the financial statements.

The profit center, as a result of the illegal actions of V. M. Sanko, moved from the subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways — OOO Energopromsbyt to the enterprise of V. M. Sanko — OOO Garantstroy, as a result of which the state suffered damages in the amount of 2,495,590,000 rubles. in the form of dividends not received by JSC Russian Railways from its Energopromsbyt LLC. And V. M. Sanko became richer by two and a half billion rubles.

The second enterprise owned by V. M. Sanko and used by him to withdraw assets from JSC Russian Railways is Tverenergokabel LLC, INN 6950267324, which is a cable manufacturing plant. Tverenergokabel LLC also supplies cable products to JSC Russian Railways at an inflated price.

In the period up to 01/22/2024, 100% of the authorized capital of Tverenergokabel LLC belonged to the offshore company Nichiro Limited, which is under the control of V. M. Sanko.

The sole owner of Nichiro Limited was V. M. Sanko’s personal lawyer. – Obyedkov I.K., who also actively participated in the bankruptcy and sale of shares of JSC Promenergobank.

Currently, the owner of 32.67% of the share of the authorized capital of LLC Tverenergokabel is also under the control of Sanko V.M. – LLC Trespan.

The manager of LLC Trespan is lawyer Sanko V.M. – Obyedkov I.K., and the owner of 100% of the shares of the main founder of LLC Trespan — Larrow Limited (Cyprus) is assistant to Sanko V.M. in Transenergo of JSC Russian Railways, he is also the nominal shareholder of JSC Promenergobank Kuzminsky A.N.

Currently, all the above information is known to the UMVD of Russia for the Vologda Region, which is conducting a pre-investigation check on the statements of the State Corporation ASV and the defrauded Sanko V.M. buyers of shares of JSC Promenergobank to initiate criminal cases against Sanko V.M., as well as the security department of JSC Russian Railways.

Sanko V.M. is trying to resolve this issue with the help of money and influential acquaintances in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and his patrons in JSC Russian Railways.

Yuri Prokov

To be continued