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| Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov Рінат Леонідович Ахметов |
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| Born | 21 September 1966 Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Net worth | US$16 billion (March 2012)[1] |
| Political party | Party of Regions |
| Spouse | Liliya Nikolayevna Smirnova |
| Children | Almir Akhmetov (1997) Damir Akhmetov (1988) |
Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov also known as Renat Leonidovich Akhmetov[2][3] (Ukrainian: Рінат Леонідович Ахметов, Russian: Ринат Леонидович Ахметов, Tatar: Ренат Леонид улы Әхмәтов; born on 21 September 1966) is a Ukrainian businessman and oligarch.[4] He is the founder and President of System Capital Management (SCM), and is ranked among the wealthiest men in the nation.[5] Akhmetov is also the owner and President of the Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk. At Rinat Akhmetov' initiative Foundation for Effective Governance (est. 2007) and Foundation for Development of Ukraine (est. 2005) were established. Since the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election Akhmetov has been a member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) for the Party of Regions.[1][6] There have been claims Akmetov has been involved in organized crime.[7][8] In January 2008 Akhmetov won a London libel court case "for damage to his reputation" for such claims.[2] (Other) claims about an alleged “criminal past” have been retracted by media.
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Rinat Akhmetov was born in Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR to a Tatar[9] working-class family. His father, Leonid Akhmetov (d. 1991) was a coal-miner,[6][10] and his mother, Nyakiya Akhmetova, was a shop assistant. Rinat Akhmetov has an older brother, Igor, who as well worked as a coal miner but had to resign due work related health complications.[11]
Rinat Akhmetov obtained a Bachelor of Arts / Science in Economics from the Donetsk National University, he graduated in 2001.[12][13]
Details regarding Akhmetov's past and how he obtained his wealth after the fall of communism in Ukraine, and the decade between 1985 and 1995 remains controversial.[14][15]
Akhmetov has stated in interviews that he obtained his wealth by making risky business investments in the first years after the collapse of the Soviet Union,[15] and responded to allegations in 2010, denying he has ever inherited any money from Akhat Bragin or anyone else: "I have earned my first million by trading coal and coke, and spent the money on assets that no one wanted to buy. It was a risk but it was worth it".[16] Akhmetov would head Dongorbank (formerly Akceptbank) in 1995.[17]
Many publications in Ukraine and other European countries have made claims about an alleged “criminal past” of Akhmetov, some of which they have later retracted.[2][14][18] (See #Disputes in the media.) The following is a summary of some of the claims made about him:
Akhmetov is said to have ties to organized crime.[4][19] According to Hans van Zon, Professor of Central and Eastern European Studies in the University of Sunderland, "As early as 1986, Rinat and his brother Igor were involved in criminal activities."[8]
In the 1980s, Akhmetov acted as an assistant to Akhat Bragin, whom law enforcement agencies regarded as a powerful crime boss;[15] allegedly in the illegal cloth trading business.[8] Andrew Wilson, a scholar specializing in Ukrainian politics, categorized Akhmetov as a former ‘enforcer’ and ‘leader’ of “[Akhat] Bragin’s ‘Tatar’ clan,” responsible for the use of “mafia methods to push aside the ‘red directors’ of the [Industrial Union of the Donbass] (IUD).”[20] By the early 1990s, Akhmetov began acquiring property in Donetsk allegedly by means of extortion with the assistance of Volodymyr Malyshev, Lieutenant-General of The Head of Ministry of Internal Affairs Department in Donetsk Oblast.[8] Malyshev, now a member of Ukraine's Parliament on the committee controlling law enforcement, is accused by Kuzin of using his position to do away with previously existing police records concerning Akhmetov shortly before becoming chief of security for Akhmetov’s company.[2] “In [the 1990's], Akhmetov was very different – he was totally private with no public persona, and was trying to find ways to deal with his ‘difficult past’,” noted U.S. ambassador William Taylor, citing prominent Ukrainian businessman Serhiy Taruta.[21]
In October 1995, Bragin, his former mentor and president of Shakhtar Donetsk football club, was killed in a mysterious bombing along with six of his bodyguards at the team's stadium during a match.[22][23] Bragin and his associates had an ongoing conflict with mob groups and rival businessmen, and had survived several attempts on his life. Bragin, who was alleged to have a leadership role in the Ukrainian mafia, was succeeded by Akhmetov as team president following his death.[23][24] Some associate Akhmetov with the death of Bragin.[20] Following the assassinations, Akhmetov is said to have "inherited a vast financial empire from Bragin".[8]
In September 1999, an official Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs report titled the “Overview of the Most Dangerous Organized Crime Structures in Ukraine” identified Akhmetov as a leader of "Renat's" organized crime group. The report tied the group to money laundering, financial fraud, and the control of numerous large and fictitious companies.[2][25] The report also says that the group's activities "have been stopped," and says further that their criminal natures "have not been confirmed."[2]
Akhmetov founded System Capital Management Group (JSC "SCM") in 2000, and has been its sole proprietor since 2009.[26] During his career SCM has grown to be one of Ukraine’s leading financial and industrial firms[27] with assets including over 100 businesses in metals and mining, power generation, banking and insurance, telecommunications, media and real estate; and revenues of around $12.8 billion and has assets worth over $22.7 billion.[28] The largest company in the SCM Group is METINVEST, which is a mining and steel business and is generally agreed to be Ukraine’s largest private business and is one of the larger steel businesses in Europe.
In June 2004[29] Akhmetov and Viktor Pinchuk (the son-in-law of then-President Leonid Kuchma) acquired the steel factory Kryvorizhstal for roughly $800 million from the state in a 2004 tender despite much higher bids made by foreign companies.[30] Later, in 2005, the first Tymoshenko Government reversed this sale, and held a nationally-televised repeat auction that netted a record-breaking $4.8 billion.[30]
After Ukraine's Orange Revolution of late 2004, in an attempt to fight coruption, several prominent businessman came under criminal investigation;[31] In 2011 Hennadiy Moskal, who in 2005 acted as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, gave an interview to Ukrainian magazine "Profyl", where he claimed to have been under Presidential orders in 2005 in investigate & audit Akhmetov for his alleged role in organized crime. Concrete evidence was never officially revealed against him, nor his company. According to Moskal, the MVS investigated all incidents related to missing people in 1990s in Donetsk region, who had any property left, and its current owners, but no connections with Rinat Akhmetov and his entourage were found.[32] Looking back, Moskal concluded that "we had nothing on Akhmetov in 2005”.[32] According to political journal's Post-Soviet Affairs, and The Nation, Akhmetov was investigated on murder charges and for his alleged role in organized crime in the Donetsk region. To avoid prosecution he was prompted to flee[neutrality is disputed] the country to Monaco.[19][32][33][34] In June 2005, Serhiy Kornich, then head of the Interior Ministry's economic crimes department, stated publicly that Akhmetov was "the head of [an] organized crime group."[35] That year year, Borys Kolesnikov, a friend and associate who had been tied to Akhmetov in links to organized crime since the 1980s, was arrested on charges of extortion and conspiracy to assassinate a rival Donetsk businessman.[19] Charges against Akhmetov and Kolesnikov were dropped in 2006 amid a significant rise in political power by the former,[19] and the cooperation of the Yuschenko government,[34] ending Akhmetov's exile.
SCM has been recognized as a leader of Ukrainian corporate social responsibility ratings, garnering the top nomination by Gvardiya magazine's rankings of Ukraine's "Socially Responsible Companies" in 2011. SCM had previously won in 2009,[36] and 2010.[37]
In 2008 UAH 3.4 million was given to compensate the victims and people whose relatives died in the blasts at Akhmetov's Krasnolimanskaya and Karla Marksa coal mines.[38][39] A further UAH 600,000 was given to relatives of relatives of 6 miners killed in a methane blast at the Duvannaya coal mine.[40]
In 2007 SCM bought Londons most expensive penthouse at One Hyde Park for a reported $213 million, as a portfolio investment, but the information about the deal was disclosed only 4 years later, in April 2011, after the asset has shown a steady annual rise.[41][42][43]
Rinat Akhmetov has been number one in Korrespondent magazine annual Ukraine’s Top 50 richest people rating with the estimated wealth of:
Forbes' The World's Billionaires rating:
In a September 13, 2007 diplomatic cable released between prominent Ukrainian business partners Serhiy Taruta, Vitaliy Haiduk, and U.S. ambassador William Taylor, Taruta alleged that Akhmetov had in 1997 persuaded Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma to appoint Viktor Yanukovych governor of Donetsk oblast, who then in turn made Haiduk his deputy.[21] In follow up of the released cables, Akhmetov's spokesperson refused comment and Haiduk denied the conversation taking place.[21]
Akhmetov was elected as a member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (parliament) during the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election as a member of the Party of Regions.[6][12][55] Akhmetov was reelected during the 2007 parliamentary election again as a member of the Party of Regions.[15][56] However, he only appeared once in the Verkhovna Rada building during his inauguration.[55] Leader of the party's faction in the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksander Yefremov, has mentioned that Rinat Akhmetov provides "substantative support" to the faction by providing what he referred to as "functioning expert groups he established that are counselling on draft laws".[57][58] In December 2011 Akhmetov announced he is not going to participate in the 2012 parliamentary election.[59]
U.S. diplomatic cables revealed that Akhmetov posted $2 million bail in 2007 for the release of three members of the Party of Regions, including former Sumy Governor Volodymyr Shcherban, who was accused of election rigging, extortion, tax evasion and abuse of office.[60]
The newspaper Segodnya, owned by Akhmetov, has drawn criticism for its alleged mandate favoring coverage of certain politicians and public figures, the journalists at the paper admitted.[61][62]
Following the October 1995 bombing assassination of former team president Akhat Bragin at the team's stadium, Akhmetov (who had served as Bragin's right-hand man and himself narrowly missed the attempt on his life),[63] subsequently inherited operation of the Shakhtar Donetsk football club. On 11 October 1996, Akhmetov was appointed president of the team[64] and began investing heavily in both players and their training facilities. Under his command, FC Shakhtar became Premier League Champions in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011; Domestic Cup champions in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2011; Super-Cup in 2005, 2008 and 2010; and UEFA Cup in 2009.[64]
In 2009 Donbass Arena stadium was built in Donetsk at Rinat Akhmetov's initiative. It is the first stadium in Eastern Europe that was designed and built to the elite UEFA standards; its seating capacity holds over 50,000 persons.[65] Rinat Akhmetov had dreamt about such a stadium long before Ukraine had acquired the right to host EURO 2012.
Rinat Akhmetov is married to Liliya Smirnova (b. 1965) and with her has two sons, Damir (b. 1988) and Almir (b. 1997).[6]
Released in a Wikileaks diplomatic cable, Volodymyr Horbulin, one of Ukraine's most respected policy strategists and former presidential advisor, told the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine in 2006 that the Party of Regions, which "enjoyed deep pockets, being largely financed by billionaire Donetsk boss Rinat Akhmetov” is partly composed of “pure criminals" and "criminal and anti-democracy figures."[66] In a U.S. diplomatic cable dated February 3, 2006, then U.S. Ambassador John Herbst referred to Akhmetov's Party of Regions as "long a haven for Donetsk-based mobsters and oligarchs" and called Akhmetov the "godfather" of the Donetsk clan.[21]
Akhmetov is involved with charities that support Ukrainian citizens.[67] Akhmetov established the Foundation for Development of Ukraine in 2005, which is "determined to eliminate the roots of social problems" in Ukraine.[68] In 2008 it has been reported that within next 5 years the Organization planned to spend $150 million to fulfill its programs.[69] In 2007, Akhmetov founded the Foundation for Effective Governance (FEG)[70] to support economic development of Ukraine. On 6 December 2007, FEG was founded in Kiev with a goal to improve the standard of living of each Ukrainian citizen.[71]
In 2008 Akhmetov donated UAH 258,600 million to charity, that made him the No.2 in a list of top ten businessmen who donated for charity in 2008.[72] In the following year, Ukrainian business weekly "Kontrakty" named Akhmetov the top businessmen-philanthropist in Ukraine.[73] In 2010, Akhmetov's total charitable contributions amounted to UAH 155,65 million, making him No. 1 philanthropist in Ukraine.[74] For 2011, Akhmetov donated UAH 222.7 million to charity.[75]
Akhmetov claims his salary for being a member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (parliament) is traditionally deferred to charity.[71]
When dealing with public criticism and allegations concerning his past, Akhmetov has utilized a notably well-stocked PR and legal team to protect his image and name. His team often contests reports on him that they consider to be libelous, scandalous, or inaccurate. To date, his legal team has obtained many retractions, apologies, and libel settlements.[14] Critics accuse Akhmetov of going beyond protecting his name, but rather fear mongering investigative journalists.[14] As many court cases occur in London for its lax free speech laws, critics accuse Akhmetov and his legal team of abuse of libel tourism.[14]
In a statement issued by Akhmetov's lawyer Mark MacDougall, "Akhmetov has done a lot of work to protect his good name from false accusations, which might hurt the reputation of his family and business. As the result of it, many publications in Ukraine and other European countries had published retractions and apologies… [and] admitted that their claims are false. We think that these facts speak for themselves”.[2]
In 2007, the Kyiv Post, the primary English language daily newspaper in Ukraine, published an article relating to Mr. Akhmetov’s business transactions relating to the Dniproenergo thermoelectric generator and the Kryvorizhstal steel mill.[92] The newspaper published an apology stating that “on closer examination, we concluded these allegations relating to Mr. Akhmetov were untrue and have no basis in fact.”[92]
In 2007, the German language Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (“NZZ”) retracted defamatory statements from published earlier article regarding Mr. Akhmetov’s early business career in the 1990s, noting that “there is no connection between Akhmetov … and organized crime in Ukraine” and “[t]he economic success of Akhmetov is not based by any means on criminally acquired starting capital.”[18]
In 2008, a judgment was obtained from the High Court of Justice in London after Obozrevatel, a Ukrainian language Internet publication refused to retract false and libelous statements alleging that Mr. Akhmetov was connected to criminal activity and violence. The Obozrevatel report interviewed his former classmates and neighbors, and delved into his early years.[14] Following court pressure Obozrevatel issued an official apology stating: “The editorial hereby admits that there was unchecked and false information about Rinat Akhmetov present in the … articles … We hereby give our apologies to Rinat Akhmetov for the problems resulted from the above-mentioned publications.”[93][94] The journalist, who has political ambitions, refused to issue an apology or acknowledge any wrongdoing.[95]
The website GoLocalProv.com, based in Providence, Rhode Island, published in 2010 allegations that Akhmetov had ties to organized crime.[96] Subsequently, PolitiFact engaged in a review of the allegations on GoLocalProv’s site and disputed the sources on which they were based, stating that “key elements of the [GoLocalProv] story are false or unproven” and that the story presented “suspicions, suggestions, innuendo, and conspiracy theories” as fact.[96] The GoLocalProv articles and audio shortly after their publishing were removed from the site. The publisher, Josh Fenton, explained that they disappeared for "technical reasons" and the radio station which aired the interview containing the allegations refused comment.[14]
In 2010 the French daily newspaper Le Figaro issued a retraction of false allegations it published on 18 January 2010 regarding Rinat Akhmetov, due to a lack of evidence to support their claims, and issued an apology.[97][98][99] Le Figaro had falsely claimed that Akhmetov was "a scandalous Ukrainian oligarch" and that he was "a bandit in the past".[99]
In his novel Donetsk Mafia: Anthology,[100] Ukrainian author Serhiy Kuzin portrays a young Akhmetov as a 'mafia thug'.[24]
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