The contents of the gift basket from Igor Sechin. Photo: The Bell
Russian officials are prohibited from accepting gifts worth more than 3,000 rubles. And after the case of Alexei Ulyukaev, civil servants are even away from diaries and calendars. Many companies have stepped into the position and give postcards. But there are those who do not change old habits.
The Ivanych basket, a New Year’s gift from Rosneft head Igor Sechin, was simply brought in and left in the reception area, the federal official says: “Personally, at that moment I was at a meeting elsewhere.”
The basket found:
- wine - four bottles of Divnomorskoye Estate (two white and two red);
- tangerines - six pieces;
- game sausages - 2.5 kg.
The average retail price of a bottle of Divnomorskoye Estate from Abrau-Durso is about 3,000 rubles. Pavel Titov, chairman of the board of directors of Abrau-Durso, says that Rosneft has been giving baskets of this wine for the New Year for several years, but there is no special agreement between the companies. With the maximum discount for wholesale, a bottle of wine can cost Rosneft 1.55 thousand rubles, says Titov.
Sausages can be made from meat that Sechin himself produces. Forbes magazine wrote in 2015 that when the head of Rosneft does not have an emergency at work, he is happy to hunt a large animal, in Russia it is most often a deer. So that trophies do not disappear, sausage is prepared from game.
Baskets with sausage "From Ivanych" became widely known after the case of Alexei Ulyukaev. In the transcript of the negotiations between the former Minister of Economy and Sechin, one can hear how the head of Rosneft instructs to prepare such a basket for Ulyukaev. Having received the gifts, Ulyukaev was detained by FSB operatives - he had with him a basket of sausages and a bag in which $ 2 million was found. Ulyukaev insisted during the process that he expected to see wine in the bag. Last week, his trial to 8 years of strict regime. The defense is challenging the verdict in the Moscow City Court.
“And what should I do about it? Send back? complains another federal official, who also received a basket this year. - Write a memo to the authorities and hand it over to the affairs department? But this is a gift from Sechin.” “Both laughter and sin,” he sums up.
“Bring me by the hand at least one person who refused our gift, I will look him in the eye,” Rosneft spokesman Mikhail Leontiev told The Bell, scolding journalists and Ulyukaev. He also claims that the contents of the gifts "cannot be valued because these goods are not on sale" and that the wine is "overpriced".
Alexandra Prokopenko (for The Bell), Anastasia Yakoreva
The President of Rosneft really gives his friends and partners baskets with 16 varieties of sausages that are made for him from hunting trophies (photo)
The sausage basket “From Ivanych” (see photo) is a traditional gift from Rosneft President Igor Sechin, one of the recipients says. They make them in a special workshop, he knows. A high-ranking official told Vedomosti about receiving such a basket as a gift.
Forbes wrote about Sechin's passion for hunting in 2015, citing sources. Then they said that “every two weeks, if there is no emergency, Sechin hunts a large animal: in Russia it is most often a deer,” and concluded: “so that the trophies do not disappear, the meat was used.” Therefore, sausages are prepared in the dining room of one of the Moscow offices of Rosneft. The assortment includes up to 16 varieties of sausages, frankfurters, sausages, there is even sausage bread, Forbes wrote.
Photo provided by one of the recipients of the gift
Whether the practice of making exclusive sausage has been preserved, the representative of Rosneft has not yet answered. In 2015, he said that "Igor Sechin's personal leisure is outside the competence of the company's press service."
The "basket with sausage" is mentioned in the transcript of the negotiations between Sechin and ex-Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev, which was read out in court the day before. Ulyukaev is accused of taking a bribe of $2 million, which, according to the materials of the investigation, he received at the office of Rosneft. In the transcript of the audio recording, Ulyukaev and Sechin do not talk about money, but mention the basket nine times.
Ekaterina Derbilova, Vitaly Petlevoy, Margarita Papchenkova
Forbes , 21.05.2015 , “Real game: who is Igor Sechin hunting”
“Wild meat has always been considered healthy food. The reasons are obvious. Wild animals eat natural food, and are far from industrial areas. They lead a mobile lifestyle, which has a positive effect on the consistency of their meat - it is quite dense and not particularly fatty. Therefore, the meat of wild animals has high nutritional and dietary properties,” says Irina Glazkova, editor-in-chief of the Meat Technologies magazine. In retail stores, the price of sausages made from meat of wild animals exceeds 1,000 rubles per kilogram. As Forbes found out, the president of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, treats his friends and partners with such sausage, only cooked “at home”.
The top manager loves to hunt, several of his acquaintances told Forbes. According to them, every two weeks, "if there is no emergency", Sechin goes to a large animal: in Russia, this is most often a deer. On business trips (and the geography of his trips is extensive: from Venezuela to Africa), if possible, he hunts a rare beast.
So that trophies do not disappear, meat was used.
Every two weeks, "if there is no emergency", Sechin goes to a big beast
In the dining room of one of the Moscow offices of the company, sausages are prepared, sources familiar with the details of the Rosneft kitchen told Forbes. According to them, this sausage is no different from the one that can be purchased in a regular store, with the exception of one thing - there is no marking on it. The assortment includes up to 16 varieties of sausages, sausages, sausages, there is even sausage bread, says one of the Forbes sources. The recipe is developed by a German chef.
“Oil “generals” in the regions are often taken out to hunt by representatives of the local administration. This sets a certain format: you get pleasure, and at the same time you discuss your affairs without haste,” says an experienced hunter who has worked for a large oil and gas company for many years. However, according to him, such a hunt has almost nothing to do with traditional hunting, but the trophy should be large and impressive. “At the same time, a bear was killed in between,” he ironically. More often, however, they prefer to kill moose and wild boars. The bear is the most dangerous predator in the middle lane. The wild boar is hunted from a tower (it is safer and easier), the elk is hunted by a paddock. The huntsmen drive the animal to the line of fire, the shooter's task is not to miss the moment, the hunter says.
In his opinion, a real hunter is one who is drawn into the forest by a primitive instinct, and even if he returns without prey, he will not say that the hunt was unsuccessful. However, among the representatives of big business there are hunters who strive to achieve excellence in this matter. Pyotr Aven and German Khan hunt a lot, they have no particular preferences in choosing the object of hunting. For example, Herman Khan walked on a duck, an elk, and a wild boar. He was seen several times in a sports and hunting club along the Minsk highway. He had a "corporate gun": all the fashion-conscious hunters have recently bought Benelli (a well-known Italian brand). “Once I crossed paths with Aven and Khan when they hunted together. I remember it was not far from Tyumen. They got into a helicopter so dressed up and flew off to hunt. They moved somewhere to the border with the Tomsk region, ”says one of the eyewitnesses. Among the hunters were also seen Vladimir Lisin, Iskander Makhmudov, Vladimir Yakunin, Sergei Sobyanin.
In the last 10 years, interest in game has increased markedly in European countries, says Glazkova: “The increase in game production and the production of game products has caused an increase in interest in its most difficult aspect - the problem of hygiene. All responsibility for compliance with hygiene standards rests with the supplier of the game, regardless of whether he sells it to a meat processing enterprise, whether he transfers it by way of barter or simply gives it away. Most often, meat is given to hunting farms, since its processing and processing is a troublesome business. “In order to hand over game to processing enterprises on their own, hunters must first obtain a veterinary certificate for their hunting trophy. Small-scale packing, processing of small, pre-processed pieces is carried out at processing enterprises. Carcasses are cut up mainly in hunting farms, ”explains Sergey Zuev, general director of the MyasoDich company (owner of Capital Ural Group of Companies). If the hunter is engaged in meat processing, he must count on large volumes of production, the expert says: equipment, premises, licenses and certificates are expensive. “That is, a simple hunter, in my opinion, will not get involved in going through all the necessary certification procedures that are required by the shop,” Zuev believes.
“In the case of the processing shop, there are a lot of pretty strict requirements,” says Zuev. A certified workshop is always a separate room. Each type of meat needs its own table. The floor cannot be wooden, so that nothing clogs in the cracks. The walls should be lined with tiles that are easy to clean. For sanitation, only certified products are used. Only special industrial meat grinders are allowed for cutting meat.
Industrial processing shops with rare meat are reluctant to work, Zuev continues. The rarest types of meat for Russian enterprises are crocodiles and giraffes. Less exotic, but also rare: roe deer, beaver, hare, bear, wild boar, elk, reindeer, yak, maral (found in Altai), argali (Altai sheep), camel. Snakes and reptiles are also rare and are usually ordered by restaurants. Due to sanctions, imported meat has become noticeably smaller.
The representative of Rosneft does not comment on Igor Sechin's hobby. “The personal leisure of Igor Sechin is outside the competence of the company's press service. None of Igor Sechin's hobbies are related to catering for the company's employees,” emphasizes the representative of Rosneft. But, according to Forbes sources, the preparation of sausages from Sechin's hunting trophies is the responsibility of the company's vice president, Thomas Hendel. Hendel declined to answer questions from Forbes. When asked if there were cases when meat obtained by hunting by Igor Sechin was used for cooking in Rosneft canteens, a company representative replied that there was no “third-party” meat in canteens. All products, including meat (most often it is pork, veal, chicken), the company purchases as part of tenders, the representative of Rosneft insists.
Rosneft does not have a shop for the production of groceries, says a company representative. “This is clinical nonsense. There is a catering system for employees. Indeed, in addition to many other things, it is supervised by Vice President Thomas Hendel as the company's business manager, ”explains Forbes’ interlocutor. Unlike “products,” a “dish” cannot have a label, he clarifies.
"What do you want to accuse us of? Is it that we are illegally doing business? This is not so,” says a representative of Rosneft.
“Tell the old woman Shapoklyak that her purse on a string did not arouse our interest,” he added.
All meat dishes, including sausages and sausages, are prepared by chefs who work in the Rosneft catering system, says a Rosneft representative. These dishes, among others, are available in the canteens. Igor Sechin personally does not try dishes in canteens, a company spokesman says. “Nevertheless, even picky employees like the food in our canteen. It's nice that there are legends about it on the market,” he notes. But according to Forbes sources, most often dishes prepared from Sechin's hunting trophies are sent as gifts to partners and friends of Rosneft.
Elena Vasilyeva, Maxim Tovkaylo
, 05.09.17 , "Conversation between Igor Sechin and Alexei Ulyukaev"
On Tuesday, the Zamoskvoretsky Court continued its consideration of the bribe case of the former Minister of Economic Development of Russia, Alexei Ulyukaev. During the process, the prosecutor's office presented, among the evidence of the guilt of the ex-minister, transcripts of conversations between the defendant and the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, which were recorded using audio recording equipment issued by the FSB before the arrest. “Kommersant” cites the text read out in the courtroom, which was published by “Mediazona” ( “Kommersant” apologizes to “Mediazona” for the fact that, due to a misunderstanding, the link was not placed immediately upon publication).
Igor Sechin and Alexey Ulyukaev
Telephone conversation between Sechin and Ulyukaev
Sechin: Hello, Alexey Valentinovich?
Receptionist Ulyukaeva: Igor Ivanovich, good afternoon, I'm connecting now.
Ulyukaev: Hello.
Sechin (laughs): Alexey Valentinovich, dear?
Ulyukaev: Yes, Igor Ivanovich? All in attention, how glad I am to hear from you.
Sechin: Don't tell me, me too. Well, firstly, I had unfulfilled assignments there, but there is readiness based on the results of work there ...
Ulyukaev: Yes.
Sechin: And, therefore, secondly, a lot of questions have accumulated there, both on the boards of directors and on everything.
Ulyukaev: Well, let's discuss everything.
Sechin: I have only one request - if you can, drive up to us for a second, because here, maybe ... Well, I'll show you in general. And look at the company in general.
Ulyukaev: Yes, I would love to see the company. But what.
Sechin: And in terms of time, I now have big negotiations at 14 will begin, for two hours.
Ulyukaev: Yes.
Sechin: Here, somewhere at 16:30, is that possible?
Ulyukaev: It is quite possible. Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow. By the way, will you be in Lima?
Sechin: I will be in Lima.
Ulyukaev: Well, I will also be in Lima, we can continue there.
Sechin: Let's work.
Ulyukaev: Continue to work? Come on, that's it, now.
Sechin: Here at 17.
Ulyukaev: Now just a second. No, a little later, if possible.
Sechin: Let's.
Ulyukaev: Yes, because I will start at 16.
Sechin: In what time? At 18?
Ulyukaev: It's 17 now, come on at 18?
Sechin: A little earlier. Early.
Ulyukaev: At 5:30 pm?
Sechin: Come on at 17.
Ulyukaev: BUT?
Sechin: Can you do it at 17?
Ulyukaev (sighs): Yes, I have here, including your, in my opinion, different procurement companies. That's where I collect them. Come on at 17.
Sechin: At 17? Thanks a lot.
Ulyukaev: Let's.
Sechin: All hugs, thank you.
Meeting between Sechin and Ulyukaev. First recording device
Sechin: Tell Shokina (deputy manager of Rosneft affairs Olga Shokina - MZ), let her put the basket in the 206th and make tea for now. Yes, everything is great. Listen, are you without a jacket?
Ulyukaev: Yes.
Sechin: How do you even walk like that?
Ulyukaev: BUT?
Sechin: I need some kind of jacket.
Ulyukaev: No, no, no, why?
Sechin: Yes?
Ulyukaev: Of course.
Sechin: Well, one second, okay, you sit for now.
Ulyukaev:... (reading out the transcript, the prosecutor says: “Ulyukaev - three dots”; this probably means the interlocutor’s unintelligible lowing)
Sechin: Well, firstly, I apologize for delaying the execution of the assignment, well, they were on business trips.
Ulyukaev: Of course.
Sechin: Yes, while back and forth, they collected the volume. Well, you can consider that the task is completed.
Ulyukaev: Yes.
Sechin: …
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: I warm up.
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: Don't speak.
Ulyukaev: You need to know when the car is, and this is the most when the distance is short.
Sechin: Well, yes.
Ulyukaev: They consider the green hedge.
Sechin: So, will Shokin bring tea?
The male: Yes Yes.
Sechin: And a sausage basket.
The male: There is.
Sechin: Yes, a few words. More about the company. So, in 1998, in principle, when we started working, the company produced 4 million tons of oil. Nobody needed her. So she slipped through the era of privatization.
Ulyukaev: Well, yes, abroad.
Sechin: So, well, then the courts, the return of the withdrawn assets began. Here is an interesting page, the fourth.
Ulyukaev: Yes.
Sechin: What have we created during this time? Here are the main indicators of oil companies whose shares are traded on the stock exchange. This means that this is the resource base of current production and production costs. Only public companies were compared. This means that we are the first in the world in terms of resource base and exploration. In terms of current production, it ranks first among companies. The cost price is also, as it were, the most highly competitive. Here you need...
Ulyukaev: Now, if you look, I will kill the capitalization of the company. These positions, it will be clear that the asset is twice as cheaper than other assets comparable in terms of characteristics.
Sechin: We are. Except for one nuance - the tax base. We have the heaviest tax base compared to any other companies. The heaviest in the world, that is. Here you can boldly add 25 to these two and three, this will be taking into account the tax base. Plus transportation. That is, consider, relatively speaking, 35 is the lower limit for us.
Ulyukaev: Are these yield prices?
Sechin: No, this is the bottom price level.
Ulyukaev: I say<нрзб>excluding loan servicing?
Sechin: Yes, which will allow us to provide additional operating profitability. Therefore, the situation is not so simple, we need to deal with the tax base.
Ulyukaev: You have to do it, for sure. It is not only big, but growing, growing.
Sechin: Growing and killing. I talked to the same ENI there, they donate 2 billion euros to the Italian budget. We are 50 billion. This is a plus to the fact that you are asking us today to add 17 there. We have already given some of them, and we are already generating 50 billion annually. So, of course, we need to think about it. Exxon has a total fiscal burden of 43%, of course, and shares are expensive. Understand?
Ulyukaev: Well, of course.
Sechin: Because it is stable 43, and I have 80. So we are counting on the growth of interest there. It's hard, yes. For example, BP. That's why I'm working with shareholders now, telling them about underestimated points that they don't have to take into account. Here are the bips in the first column outside the frames. And as soon as they bought, our shares became the fourth. And why? Because we allowed to put the resource base on the balance, in proportion to ownership.
Ulyukaev: So they have 20%? Fifth part?
Sechin: Yes. And they immediately jumped out to another level.
Ulyukaev: Wait, if they put your resource base on their balance sheet, you don't have a balance left?
Sechin: Remains, remains. Oil remains. But it doesn't cost us anything at all. It's just permission to use them. And they also report on our geological exploration. We did a 150% replacement there, they just consider themselves 20% of this replacement. And the same for prey<нрзб>. They would never have gone beyond this level of production if they had not given to our projects too.
Ulyukaev: If not, then it would be 20 with a small tail, which means they would be below ten.
Sechin: Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. A very serious step, of course, we have taken, as you know, in India to acquire<нрзб>. I wanted to ask, I will apply, it will be necessary to support project financing ...
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: This is a project…
Ulyukaev: Listen, will there be Iranian oil there?
Sechin: Part Iraqi, part Venezuelan, part Iranian. 20 million tons of processing, a very high Nelson index - 11.8. Deep water ports, 2700 refuelings. This is such a project for the market - simply unique.
Ulyukaev: But their own refills through them. What part of the processing, how much goes through its network of gas stations?
Sechin: About I can tell you, about. Somewhere in the fourth part.
Ulyukaev: Fourth part.
Sechin: Yes, part four. They have a plant there, maybe the terminal allows export-import operations with crude oil.
Ulyukaev: No. Because visiting Indians is a big deal.
Sechin: Yes.
Ulyukaev: This is essentially the first such major attempt, no one has succeeded.
Sechin: Yes it's true. So what else can I say. In terms of development technology, we occupy a serious leading position, if we are not approaching the world leaders, then we are stepping on our heels very seriously. But it still depends on us ... it is connected with our equipment, with our staff. For hydraulic fracturing, the equipment allows up to 30 or more fractures at a time. We do 12–15, up to 20. But they have different compressors, there is more pressure, different proppants - this is a special fraction that is pumped into a fracture during a fracture and does not allow it to collapse, creating a reservoir base for collecting oil and gas. Previously, we used sand, but the sand is washed out with water; Americans are now using new types of proppants with a changing center of gravity, they cling, they have all sorts of sharp edges, and are not washed out of the rock. There are many nuances, but we are developing despite the wishes of OPEC, I reported to Vladimir Vladimirovich about this. All of them are preparing the development of production, all of them, Venezuela, I absolutely know for sure. They plan to raise production by 250 thousand barrels per day within six months. So the first one. Second. Iran will increase, they now have 3.9-4.0. They have a plan to add a million tons of barrels.
Ulyukaev: They and 4 somewhere ready to be frozen.
Sechin: 3.9 now, and 4.9 want.
Ulyukaev: 4. No, no, they are ready for 4 and frozen.
Sechin: Well.
Ulyukaev: Well, probably yes.
Sechin: Yes. I don't think anyone is telling the truth. And they all need, I think, Iraq, Nigeria, they need about six months to issue additional volumes. And these six months, if we freeze it, will give the Americans a little bit of oxygen to give oil shale. And here, it seems to me, the slyness is: now to support shale oil here.
Ulyukaev: Yes.
Ulyukaev: This will be used.
Ulyukaev: Plus, during this time, the Trump administration, and he is very pro-traditional sources, he is very much going to support production.
Sechin: Yes. He wants to support prey, it's true. He stated it.
Ulyukaev: He will be ready for tax…
Sechin:… benefits and funding. He stated this repeatedly, these are his theses of the election program.
Ulyukaev: This must be taken into account. He will need some time, because there is an adaptation of the administration. This is perhaps his central point.
Sechin: This must be taken into account. But we are working on the sly, Lyosha.
Ulyukaev: Look, with regard to taxes, I am completely on your side with both hands in everything. I think that we are acting short-sighted, and therefore ridiculous. We distort the completely future picture of the world. We want to attract investments. We will not attract investment and we will undermine our own climate of the investment base. And this is a completely dead-end path, especially when it comes to old deposits. There you just need to drill and pump, drill and pour water. You cannot stop the process. And if you fall...
Sechin: Well, how...
Ulyukaev: Well, how are you going to do it at a loss? This is strange.
Sechin: Of course.
Ulyukaev: Strange, therefore, the logic, which is no good. Because, of course, we are 100% for. And of course, you need several such international ones ...
Sechin: Lesha, I beg you. Don't be offended by us for all these delays.
Ulyukaev: No, Igor, why?
Sechin: Well, I felt it storm a little, yes.
Ulyukaev: No, you give me...
Sechin: We are working on privatizations, that means. I met today, tomorrow I fly to Europe. The main thing, I'll tell you, means the following: they are ready to lend in full, they don't particularly want to buy. Therefore, we make different offers there, compose different carrots in order to pull them into promotions. It means that progress is being made in Asia, the Japanese - you know, they have now made changes to the legislation, after all, there now the emperor must sign, but they have already been submitted to parliament, they are also being worked on.
Ulyukaev: FROM…
Sechin: Well, with everyone there.
Ulyukaev: OK then.
Sechin: There are more with the young.
Ulyukaev: More with young people?
Sechin: Yes. Well, we work, we do not relax. In general, I don’t want to tell you anything yet, but we are working hard to complete the task in full.
Ulyukaev: Here I am, honestly, from today's considerations, I would like to attract the Japanese. All these Indians - all this is not the same, you will not get anything from the Indians.
Sechin: We work with Koreans. No, not the Chinese, not the Indians, it's...
Ulyukaev: I don't need it at all.
Sechin: There will be no synergy with them anymore.
Ulyukaev: Absolutely, but those can be obtained.
Sechin: These can, yes, and I also think that these can. They are set up very pragmatically, they, of course, want to fulfill their main task - to go and get political<нрзб>, there on the territory, we even raised such questions during the negotiations, but we rejected it.
Ulyukaev: Well, of course.
Sechin: They immediately said: guys, no.
Ulyukaev: They are doing well now. What does it mean to decide… Abe has to show something to his people, they tell him, you are making constant concessions to the Russians. He will say: yes, why, I am acquiring very interesting assets, this is a guaranteed supply of our country with external energy resources for decades to come. I create for the Japanese.
Sechin: So how is it?
Ulyukaev: It was quite profitable for them.
Sechin: You know, we, I just tell them that, guys, here the essence of our proposal is this: you get a share, a share in the company, firstly, conditions for the development of joint projects. This means that our second proposal, following the share, is the creation<нрзб>for extraction, transportation, joint work in the markets. If you do this, then you get access to the central Tatar section of the Verkhnechonskaya Dole and a number of other deposits that we are developing together with you. True, you get a minority stake here, and if you agree to this, then in case of force majeure we undertake the obligation to supply only to the Japanese market.
Ulyukaev: This is very important for them, they are very dependent on the Gulf. They need to balance.
Sechin: This is exactly what we are saying, but what is force majeure - we prescribed a price change of 20%, for example, a price increase of 20% or a price decrease of 20%, a sharp change in the market situation, then the company begins to supply the entire volume of production only to your address, and you reduce any dependence on other suppliers, in general, our offer is very decent and balanced, we are working. There are risks of delaying deadlines, so deadlines are of fundamental importance here. They are trying to turn the tables on the tender procedures there, but they themselves are still waiting for the results of the audit.<нрзб>So the government issued an order, so we don’t know anything, and we ourselves are already in this situation: we must sign it before the fifth day. Keep this in mind, this is no longer our competence, it is the competence of the government. Please, we can announce on the 15th if everything fits in with you. So yes, on the date of signing, we told them - you will transfer 10% of the advance here to us, if you do not conclude a deal, it becomes the property of the company. Well, here are the conditions.
Ulyukaev: It's clear. Well, it will be important right now in Lima on the 20th (on November 20 last year, the APEC-MZ summit was held in Peru), where the boss will meet with Abe, this is a must.
Sechin: Yes, I will be in Lima.
Ulyukaev: That's it, yes, I will too. And even before that, a day earlier, I met with this Seko (Hiroshige Seko - Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in the government of Shinzo Abe - MZ), there, too, he still needs to be crushed, the minister of this very one responsible for Russia.
Sechin: Well, yes, yes. This is how they move. I can’t say that they somehow leave us completely, there, aside ...
Ulyukaev: Uh-huh.
Sechin: No, they have a plan, they are making attempts, they directly said, “It will be hard for us if there is no progress.” I told them, no, guys, you do not contact me with these questions. We are soldiers, we are told what we do, and this is no longer our diocese. Lesha, thank you very much, I'm not delaying you, you have a difficult schedule.
Ulyukaev: Yes, I'll drop by the courses on the way home.
Sechin: Let's go to?
The male: From Ivanovich? (laughs)
Sechin: Yes, you need to go to that entrance.
Ulyukaev: …
Meeting between Sechin and Ulyukaev. Second recorder
Motor noise.
Sechin: Well, okay, heh… with him (the prosecutor says: “heh with him”, what exactly Sechin said is unclear - MOH). But here you can ... there, as it were ... well, yeah ...
The male: Drive here?
Sechin: Yes, go tell Shokina, let her put the basket in the 206th and make tea for now. Ugh, that's enough.
A noise, a rustle is heard.
Sechin: Listen, are you without a jacket, huh? How do you even walk like that?
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: Exactly this. I need some kind of jacket.
Ulyukaev: No, no, no, why?
Sechin: Yes? Well, one second, you sit for now, okay.
A rustle, steps are heard.
Sechin: So, you are now one second, second, yeah, I'm so short then so that you don't freeze. Well, first of all, I apologize for the delay in completing the assignment. We were on a business trip.
Ulyukaev: Well, life, of course.
Sechin: So while back and forth, we collected the volume. But in general, you can consider the task completed. Here, take it, put it down and let's go have a cup of tea.
Ulyukaev: Yes?
Sechin: So, here is a key for every fireman (the key was marked with the same special solution as the bag and money used in the operational experiment; the prosecutor especially singled out the words about the key and “take it, put it back” during the announcement of the decryption - MOH).
Ulyukaev: Yes, let's go.
Sechin: Yeah.
Knocks, clatter, sounds of zippers and the rustle of clothes.
Sechin: My body does not tolerate cold at all, I warm myself.
Ulyukaev: We need to find out when the car is the most, overheating ...
Sechin: BUT?
Ulyukaev: Always when the distance is short.
Sechin: Well, yes.
Ulyukaev: <нрзб>
Sechin: Right.
Ulyukaev: Green…
Sechin: So Shokin will bring tea?
Unnamed Man: Yes Yes.
Sechin: And there is a basket.
The male: There is.
Sechin: …
The male: Bring some tea.
The male: Hello, yes. Ah, let me clarify. Everything is fine there. Drinking tea, here. Here, simply, according to your order, no cars are allowed out of the territory, we are guarding the regime. Or can it be released? BUT? And yes, yes. Well, he drinks tea with a visitor. Yes, yeah. Everything, I understand, yes, well, there is, everything, there is. Okay, okay, yeah, there is. Hello Hello? Well, is everything okay? Yes. In the sense that the regime was preserved? Everybody come on. Hello Hello? Yes? All right, there is, but I'll just type everything. Yes, yes, I understand, okay, yes, yes, yeah.
The sound of a car engine and a phone call are heard.
The male: Yes. Well, here I am, yes, yes, hello, hello. The car came, I cooked.
Motor noise is heard.
Man (on phone): Yes?
Sechin: …
Man (laughs): From Ivanovich?
Sechin: Yes, there is an entrance.
The rustle of clothes.
Sechin: yeah
Ulyukaev: Little basket.
Sechin: Yes, take the basket.
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: Everyone is happy, thank you very much.
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: Goodbye.
Meeting between Sechin and Ulyukaev. Third recorder
Motor noise.
Sechin: Get in the parking lot there, yes, you get up in the parking lot, get up in the parking lot, get up in the parking lot. Okay, God be with him. He stands there on the side. And so are we now.
The male: <нрзб>put it in a parking lot, please.
Sechin: Yes, great, I'll put it in the parking lot now.
The sound of the motor, the door, the rustle of clothes.
Sechin: Does he know where to go?
Unnamed Man: Posted a guard there.
Sechin: BUT?
The male: He put people on the street to suggest how to get there.
Sechin: Oh good.
The male: …
Sechin: OK. But here is it possible? There. Ah, that's it, yes.
The male: …
Sechin: Tell Shokina to put the basket in 206 and make tea for now. (To Ulyukaev, who entered - MOH) Oh, listen, are you without a jacket, huh? How do you even walk like that?
Ulyukaev: BUT?
Sechin: Exactly this. You need some kind of jacket.
Ulyukaev: No need, no need.
Sechin: Yes, yes, yes, sit down for a second, okay? So, you are now, ah, well ... I’ll be short so that you don’t freeze. Well, first of all, I apologize for the delay in completing the assignment. Well, there were business trips.
Ulyukaev: Well, life, of course.
Sechin: So far, the volume has been collected back and forth. But you can consider that the task is completed. Here, take your luggage and let's go and have a cup of tea. So, here is the key for every firefighter (The prosecutor especially highlighted these words during the announcement of the transcript - MOH).
Ulyukaev: …
Sechin: Yeah. My body can't stand the cold anymore.
At this point, the third entry read out by the prosecutor is interrupted.
"Rosbalt" , 06.09.17 , ""Basket with sausage from Sechin" - more than a meme"
On Tuesday, at a court hearing in the case of ex-Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev, the prosecutor read out a recording of a conversation with the head of the Rosneft company, Igor Sechin. Within a day, replicas from wiretapping scattered across the Internet and became memes. One of them, but not the only one, touched some kind of sausage basket.
Sechin: So, will Shokin bring tea?
Man (presumably Ulyukaev): Yes, yes.
Sechin: And a basket of sausages.
Man: Yes.
You can listen to a more detailed fragment of the conversation in this video from Novaya Gazeta.
“Sechin's Sausage Basket” instantly became the most recognizable part of the story. As it turned out, the head of Rosneft often gives such meat sets to different people. Products in such a set, as a rule, are made from meat obtained by Igor Ivanovich on a hunt. The media even found a genuine photo of such a basket.
The basket “surfaced” on September 5 at a regular meeting in the case of corruption against the ex-head of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexei Ulyukaev. According to the audio recordings presented in court, immediately before his arrest on November 14 last year, Ulyukaev arrived at a meeting scheduled by Sechin. After talking about oil over a cup of tea, he received a basket as a gift. (The full transcript was published on Mediazone.) “Yes, take the basket,” Sechin says to the minister. Later he adds: “Here, take it, put it down and let's go, have a cup of tea. So, here is the key for every fireman.
2 What was the catch?
The “present” in the basket, from which the key was handed over to “every fireman,” was marked two million dollars. According to investigators - a bribe that the former minister demanded from Rosneft for the positive conclusion of his department on the deal to buy Bashneft. When leaving the headquarters of Rosneft, Ulyukaev was caught red-handed. He stated that he had "a gift, a bottle of good wine" in the trunk. He also added that Sechin put it there personally.
3 What are these other gifts from Sechin?
A basket of game is a traditional gift that officials receive from time to time from the head of Rosneft. This was reported by one of those who were lucky enough to receive it. He supported his story to the Vedomosti newspaper with a photograph. The picture shows that inside there is a set of sausages with a branded label "From Ivanych" and a bottle of wine, which Ulyukaev could have been talking about.
The publication recalled that Forbes wrote about Sechin the hunter two years ago, specifying that his trophies are not wasted. It was reported that an assortment of elite sausages was made from a shot animal (and most often it is a deer). Among the 16 types of products even sausage bread is mentioned. However, whether the head of the state corporation now diversifies his leisure time by hunting for a large animal is not known for sure.
4 Who prepares "baskets from Sechin"?
All in the same Forbes material, Vedomosti also found a place where the contents of Sechin's traditional gifts were prepared. Apparently, we are talking about the dining room of one of the Moscow offices of Rosneft. It is not clear whether an unconventional gift for Ulyukaev was collected there, but it was delivered by an employee close to a very high cuisine. “Yes, go tell Shokina, let him put the basket in the 206th and prepare tea for now. Yeah, that's enough,” Sechin says in one of the audio recordings to an unnamed interlocutor and immediately addresses, apparently, to Ulyukaev who has just entered: “Listen, are you without a jacket, huh? How do you even walk like that?"
5 Well, who is this Shokina?
Meduza suggested that the Rosneft employee in question could be 35-year-old Olga Shokina. According to Meduza, the graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Service and Economics began her career climb in 2004 in structures controlled by restaurateur Evgeny Prigozhin. In ten years, Shokina rose from manager to head of the Concord holding. Two years before moving to Rosneft, Shokina closed the top ten best eventers and caterers according to the Profile magazine. By this time, she had already changed St. Petersburg to Moscow and, as reported, successfully negotiated the entry of Concorde into the school food market in Moscow.
6 And what is she doing at Rosneft?
Supervises corporate catering issues. As well as issues of real estate and air transportation. Meduza was told about this by a source familiar with the structure of the company. After the arrest of Ulyukaev, Shokina received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, from Vladimir Putin. The award was awarded, among other things, "for a great contribution to the development of the country's economy."
7 And Sechin? Sechin says something?
Igor Sechin, who was very much expected in court, shared his “testimony” on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum. Ulyukaev, according to him, demanded illegal remuneration. The head of the state corporation said that he "he himself determined its size, he himself came for it, he himself took it with his hands and loaded it into the car and left himself." “In accordance with the Criminal Code, this is a crime,” Sechin, who presented the basket, decided.
The executive director of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, considers the guilt of the former Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukaev, who is accused of taking a bribe on an especially large scale, to be obvious. “I will testify right now,” the head of the company said on Wednesday, September 6, before the opening of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, answering questions from journalists about whether he was ready to testify in the case of the ex-minister in court.
“Ulyukaev, while in the position of minister, demanded illegal remuneration, he himself determined its amount, he himself came for it, he himself took it with his hands and loaded it into the car, and he left. According to the Criminal Code, this is a crime. There is nothing to talk about,” Sechin said (quoted by RIA Novosti).
Hearings on the case of the former head of the Ministry of Economic Development are being held in the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow. The day before, on September 5, prosecutor Boris Neporozhny announced in court the materials of the operational measures carried out by the special services, designed to prove that Ulyukaev received a bribe of $ 2 million at the office of Rosneft. It turned out that Igor Sechin agreed to participate in the operational experiment and personally handed over a bag with $2 million to the former minister.
The representative of the prosecution read out in court a statement sent to the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, from the head of the Rosneft security service, General Oleg Feoktistov. In the document, General Feoktistov said that he had learned from Sechin that Ulyukaev was extorting $2 million for a positive assessment of the deal between Rosneft and Bashneft. Otherwise, the statement says, the head of the Ministry of Economic Development allegedly made it clear that he would interfere with the work of Rosneft.
The statement contains the phrase: “In view of the foregoing, we give consent to participate in operational activities.” Under it is the signature of Igor Sechin.
Dialogues about the basket
To carry out the “operational measure”, the banknotes intended for transfer to Ulyukaev were treated with a special preparation. He also processed the bag, which contained $ 2 million, and the key to this bag. The head of Rosneft, Sechin, was also given a tool for audio fixing the moment the bribe was transferred to Ulyukaev.
Ulyukayev's phone calls were also tapped. In court, a recording of wiretapping of conversations between the minister and the head of the oil company was announced (their transcript is published by Mediazona). One of the interviews took place on November 14, 2016. Sechin told Ulyukaev that he still had an unfulfilled order. And he asked the minister to “for a second” drive up to the office of Rosneft. “Because here, maybe... Well, I'll show you in general,” Sechin said. “Yes, I would love to see the company. And why, ”Ulyukaev answered.
According to Ulyukaev's lawyers, this conversation was about an assignment, the contents of which they will announce later). At 17:00 on the same day, Ulyukaev arrived at the Rosneft office.
"A basket?" - Ulyukaev reminded at the exit from the office. “Yes, take the basket,” Sechin replied.
At the exit from the Rosneft building, Ulyukaev's car was blocked by FSB officers. A basket of sausages and a brown bag were found in the trunk. When questioned by investigators about the contents of the bag, Ulyukaev said that there was good wine there, “received as a gift from a friend.” Ulyukaev took the key to the brown bag out of his pocket. He stated that he touched the handle of the bag, but did not open it himself.
“In view of the low air temperature, Ulyukaev was asked to go into the interior of the Rosneft company. Ulyukaev refused to take the bag out of the trunk, and the FSB officer carried the brown bag,” an excerpt from the search report was read in court. In the bag were found 20 packs of $10,000 covered with a special composition and 30 sealed polymer packages, in which there were 180 packs of $10,000 each. Luminescent traces were also found on Ulyukaev's hands.
Hunting trophies of Sechin
Ulyukayev's lawyer, Victoria Burkovskaya, said on September 5, during a break in the court session, that the minister was sure that he was being given an ordinary basket of fruit and wine, and there should have been sausages in the bag. Ulyukaev denies his guilt in extorting a bribe.
Back in May 2015, Forbes reported that the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, is fond of hunting and treats his friends and partners with wild animal meat sausage. As several acquaintances of the top manager told the publication, every two weeks, “if there is no rush”, Sechin goes to a large animal (in Russia it is most often a deer). And on business trips (and the geography of his trips is extensive: from Venezuela to Africa), if possible, he hunts a rare beast.
So that trophies do not disappear, meat was used. In the dining room of one of the Moscow offices of the company, sausages are prepared, sources familiar with the details of the Rosneft kitchen told Forbes. According to them, this sausage is no different from the one that can be purchased in a regular store, with the exception of one thing - there is no marking on it. The assortment includes up to 16 varieties of sausages, frankfurters, sausages, there is even sausage bread, one of the Forbes sources specified. The recipe is developed by a German chef.
According to Forbes sources, most often dishes prepared from Sechin's hunting trophies are sent as gifts to partners and friends of Rosneft.
Interrogation of witnesses and chronicle of the trial
Interrogation of witnesses for the prosecution began at the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow on 1 September. In total, the state prosecution plans to interrogate 30 people in the Ulyukaev case. Among the declared witnesses is the chief executive officer of Rosneft, Igor Sechin. He himself said on September 4 that he did not intend to take part in the trial. “I have not received a summons, so I do not plan to,” Sechin said in an interview with reporters.
So far, three witnesses have been interrogated: Andrey Baranov, Director of the Investor Relations Department of Rosneft, Oksana Tarasenko, Director of the Department of Corporate Governance of the Ministry of Economic Development, and Yulia Moskvitina, Leading Advisor of the Department of Corporate Governance of the Ministry. All of them generally considered Ulyukayev's behavior in buying the state-owned stake in Bashneft strange and inconsistent.
Tarasenko testified against her former leader. According to her, the ex-minister knew that Rosneft was not subject to a ban on buying Bashneft shares. She recalled that Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich instructed the ministry to study the question of whether state-owned companies could participate in the purchase of a block of shares. “From the report prepared by my department on behalf of (Deputy Prime Minister Arkady) Dvorkovich, on the deal, Ulyukaev personally deleted the phrase that Rosneft’s participation in the deal stimulates its competitiveness and will help maximize the consolidated stake in Bashneft,” stated in the testimony of Tarasenko.
Yulia Moskvitina also testified that the former head of the Ministry of Economic Development, Ulyukaev, initiated the exclusion of Rosneft from the tender for the purchase of Bashneft shares. “All deletions, amendments were made directly by Ulyukaev, respectively, he was the initiator of the exclusion of Rosneft from the list of contenders for the privatization of Bashneft,” she said in her testimony, appearing in the case file.
At the same time, Tarasenko and Moskvitina confirmed in court that Ulyukaev never asked them to personally drag out the Bashneft privatization process.
This is a traditional gift from the president of Rosneft.
Ekaterina Derbilova, Vitaly Petlevoy, Margarita Papchenkova"From Ivanych" (see photo) - a traditional gift from the president of Rosneft Igor Sechin, says one of the recipients. They make them in a special workshop, he knows. A high-ranking official told Vedomosti about receiving such a basket as a gift.
Forbes wrote about Sechin's passion for hunting in 2015, citing sources. Then they said that “every two weeks, if there is no emergency, Sechin hunts a large animal: in Russia it is most often a deer,” and concluded: “so that the trophies do not disappear, the meat was used.” Therefore, sausages are prepared in the dining room of one of the Moscow offices of Rosneft. The assortment includes up to 16 varieties of sausages, frankfurters, sausages, there is even sausage bread, Forbes wrote.
Whether the practice of making exclusive sausage has been preserved, the representative of Rosneft has not yet answered. In 2015, he said that "Igor Sechin's personal leisure is outside the competence of the company's press service."
"Basket with sausage" is mentioned in transcript of negotiations Sechin and ex-Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev which was read out in court the day before. Ulyukaev is accused of taking a bribe of $2 million, which, according to the materials of the investigation, he received at the office of Rosneft. In the transcript of the audio recording, Ulyukaev and Sechin do not talk about money, but mention the basket nine times. The original of this material
© Forbes.ru, 05/21/2015, Photo: via Znak.com
Real game: who Igor Sechin is hunting
Elena Vasilyeva, Maxim Tovkaylo |
| Igor Sechin
|
The top manager loves to hunt, several of his acquaintances told Forbes. According to them, every two weeks, "if there is no emergency", Sechin goes to a large animal: in Russia, this is most often a deer. On business trips (and the geography of his trips is extensive: from Venezuela to Africa), if possible, he hunts a rare beast.
So that trophies do not disappear, meat was used.
In the dining room of one of the Moscow offices of the company, sausages are prepared, sources familiar with the details of the Rosneft kitchen told Forbes. According to them, this sausage is no different from the one that can be purchased in a regular store, with the exception of one thing - there is no marking on it. The assortment includes up to 16 varieties of sausages, sausages, sausages, there is even sausage bread, says one of the Forbes sources. The recipe is developed by a German chef. [...]
The representative of Rosneft does not comment on Igor Sechin's hobby. “The personal leisure of Igor Sechin is outside the competence of the company's press service. None of Igor Sechin's hobbies are related to catering for the company's employees,” emphasizes the representative of Rosneft. But, according to Forbes sources, the preparation of sausages from Sechin's hunting trophies is the responsibility of the company's vice president, Thomas Hendel. Hendel declined to answer questions from Forbes. When asked if there were cases when meat obtained by hunting by Igor Sechin was used for cooking in Rosneft canteens, a company representative replied that there was no “third-party” meat in canteens. All products, including meat (most often it is pork, veal, chicken), the company purchases as part of tenders, the representative of Rosneft insists.
Rosneft does not have a shop for the production of groceries, says a company representative. “This is clinical nonsense. There is a catering system for employees. Indeed, in addition to many other things, it is supervised by Vice President Thomas Hendel as the company's business manager, ”explains Forbes’ interlocutor. Unlike “products,” a “dish” cannot have a label, he clarifies.
"What do you want to accuse us of? Is it that we are illegally doing business? This is not so,” says a representative of Rosneft.
“Tell the old woman Shapoklyak that her purse on a string did not arouse our interest,” he added.
[...] according to Forbes sources, most often dishes prepared from Sechin's hunting trophies are sent as gifts to partners and friends of Rosneft.