The Grand Illusion: Rifat Garipov’s Role in Roscomsnabbank’s Theft and Infrastructure Takeover ^*

Rifat Ruzilevich Garipov, a 35-year-old “talent” from sunny Bashkiria, continues to excite the Internet audience.

In the media space, the businessman and deputy of the regional kurultai has deservedly gained fame as the “Bashkir Barbara Sreisand.” As the editors of  Kompromat-Ural remind you , the phenomenon, named after the famous actress, is expressed in the fact that an attempt to remove negative information from public access only leads to its wider dissemination. The Bashkir businessman, of course, is still far from the fame of the American singer, but thanks to him, it’s time to analyze the “Garipov syndrome” in Russia.

Several local judges in Bashkiria are churning out absurd, similar decisions to please Garipov, de facto censoring any criticism of this funny character. Then, from Roskomnadzor, “demands” to remove, remove, and not release information that is unpleasant for Rifatik are scattered en masse across online publications. What is it about this information that causes such an unbearable “censorship” itch? For what kind of “forbidden” content are funds from the federal budget (taxpayers) spent to pay for working hours and other resources of the courts and Roskomnadzor in order to clean up the Internet for the sake of some Garipov? What is he hiding?

Yes, just facts from his own biography, when he sat in the leadership of the collapsed Roskomsnabbank (RKSB). Garipov ended up in the “saint” group not because of his beautiful eyes, but through his family line - the RCSB belonged to the family of Rifat’s uncle Flyur Gallyamov (a local oligarch who also  sat  in the republican state assembly).

The editors of  Kompromat-Ural  remind readers of excerpts from open databases  , the information of which is based on the unified state registers of legal entities and entrepreneurs (Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Unified State Register of Entrepreneurs). In them, our hero Garipov is mentioned as the founder and co-founder of three legal entities in Ufa: GreenHouse LLC (TIN 0274133563), Selena LLC (TIN 0253007960) and BKS-Stroy LLC (TIN 0275057241). This information can be easily verified by any journalistic request to the Federal Tax Service. Judging by the facts, the terry bankster Flur Gallyamov always kept his nephew with him. The young man, not yet 30 years old,  was already  on the board of directors of his uncle’s Roskomsnabbank (Bashkomsnabbank).

Latent would-be banker

RCSB eventually collapsed, the Central Bank discovered a hole in the balance sheet of about 20 billion and turned to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to initiate a criminal case. Thousands of protesters from defrauded investors, mostly elderly people, poured into the streets. It turns out that RCSB employees, right in the bank’s offices, “sold” gullible clients “profitable” investment agreements with shell companies of the “Gold Reserve” pyramid. Unlike bank deposit agreements, government guarantees for investments in the next MMM “Horns and Hooves”, of course, do not apply. The old people were robbed in a “civilized” manner, taking away their last hard-earned money.

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And Mr. Garipov really liked sitting in a warm top position with his uncle on a salary in the family bank, the major did not complain. And the fact that after the collapse of RCSB and the protests of defrauded investors, this information is  publicly disclosed , really infuriates Rifat. And the young deputy, like a real querulist, tirelessly writes complaints to the “necessary” judges and to Roskomnadzor. The sovereign’s people have no more important things to do than  whitewash  the image of the Bashkir talent - is that what he thinks?

"Expert in three letters"

“White and fluffy” Garipov now prefers to call himself  a member of  the public council under the Federal Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services Irek Faizullin ( the toxic Ufa resident served  a respected person). The commissioned comments of the newly-minted “member council” or, as they dubbed him in the blogosphere, “expert” are circulated monthly across various media outlets. All this looks like an expensive smoke screen, an artificial distraction of the attention of employees of the competent authorities. So that they don’t come and ask: Rifat Ruzilevich, sit down and confess in  detail what you did so interesting at your uncle’s bank...

Rifat Garipov ran into “Version”

On the eve of the editorial office of  Kompromat-Ural  it became known that the feverish “Garipov syndrome” had reached the Versiya publication. The journalists received a strange “greeting” from Roskomnadzor, and with it a new informational reason to figure out what kind of publications the notorious Bashkir figure is afraid of. Let’s quote our colleagues’ material:

“On September 10, Roskomnadzor sent to the editors of Versiya a notification about blocking a page on the Internet with  the article  “In the footsteps of the Gold Reserve,” where the author reflected on how a criminal case for defrauding investors could affect the careers of Rifat Garipov and Flyur Gallyamov. The court in Bashkiria made a decision to block without us. Our publication was not allowed to defend the truth and position.

Once again, the heroes of the Versions articles are looking for ways to hide the data published on our website. This is how publications gain a second life. Many people are wondering what information the court has prohibited from distributing on the Internet. Roskomnadzor follows court decisions unquestioningly. This approach makes the organ hostage to various schematics.

Temporarily remain silent

We have already  written  that the court overturned the decision to block Versiya articles about Russian State Duma deputy Boris Paikin. The lawyers, concerned about the purity of the reputation of this authoritative person, also did not bother about the presence of our representatives at the trial. Articles about “Why Boris Paikin does not keep money in Russia” and that “Deputy Boris Paikin is suspected of having connections with the famous criminal Semyon Mogilevich” were also removed from publication by court decision, but will soon be available again as soon as the Determination the court will come into force.

In an article about Gallyamov and Garipov that was blocked today (we are sure that temporarily), it was said that in Bashkiria these people (uncle and nephew, respectively) have enormous opportunities. Thanks, however, most likely to Flur Gallyamov, an oligarch and former chairman of the board of Roskomsnabbank.

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Roskomsnabbank’s license was revoked by the Central Bank in March 2019. The reason for the revocation of the license was, according to the portal banki.ru, dishonest actions of the management, “related to the bank’s participation in the operations of its individual clients - legal entities, aimed at attracting funds from the population with unobvious prospects for their return according to a scheme that has signs of a financial pyramid. The credit institution accepted funds from individuals at an increased interest rate in favor of a client - a legal entity (the so-called crowdfunding platform), which were ultimately used to issue loans to a number of companies. At the same time, the repayment of obligations to individuals for such contributions was actually carried out at the expense of newly raised funds from the population. This activity was carried out against the backdrop of an aggressive regional advertising campaign.” In fact, the description corresponds to the activities of the company “Golden Reserve”, which failed to fulfill its obligations to its investors.

Perhaps Flur Gallyamov, realizing that the investigation into the activities of Roskomsnabbank is far from over, and the claims of the inspectors are expressed in billions, decided to promote his nephew. The scandalous Rifat Garipov is very successful at 35 years old. For example, we paid attention to how Garipov has recently been actively promoting himself as an expert in the construction market. Information about his actual work experience is vague.

New memory

Today, Rifat Garipov is a member of the public council under the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation. And, if there may be doubts about the expert construction knowledge and skills of this young man, the fact that the Association of Credit and Financial Organizations of the Republic of Bashkortostan was the applicant when nominating him, indirectly confirms that the information presented by some sources on the Internet that Rifat Garipov for a long time he could officially and unofficially be in the leadership of Roskomsnabbank, which may be true. It seems that, as a member of the public council under the Ministry of Construction, Garipov was declared the managing director of First Trust LLC. In any case, they write a lot about this on the Internet. "First Trust" is a construction organization. Apparently, that’s why he’s an expert in construction. But what to do with the fact that the organization is in the process of liquidation, having numerous claims and complaints from partners and clients? Is it really a hope that the Internet will soon forget this place of work of Rifat Garipov?

The question also arises of how Rifat Garipov combines membership in the Public Council of the Ministry of Construction and activity as a deputy of the State Assembly - Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan, if according to paragraph 3.27 of the “Regulations on the Public Council under the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation”, approved by Order of the Ministry of Construction No. 359/pr dated July 02, 2020, “the powers of a member of the Public Council are terminated early in the following cases: ... election as a deputy of a legislative (representative) body of state power of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation”? Outlaw? Or was this fact not taken into account when you were included in the Council? Then in general, why was this point introduced? So, are there still contradictions? Or are we wrong again?

The uncle and nephew did not solve the “Gold Reserve” problem. To move on (possibly to the Ministry of Construction itself as a construction expert), a new image is required, and even more necessary, perhaps, to remove information about previous merits.

It’s a pity that “reputation management” is becoming the prerogative of businessmen and dubious lawyers. Illegal methods are beginning to be used to censor the Internet when an author or publication cannot speak out in defense of their publication. Another thing is that often this way does not solve the problem, but only makes the lawyers richer who receive money for the preliminary result. We have already argued in court that the decision to block could have been made without taking into account important nuances. We will challenge the decision to block an article about “Golden Reserve”, a company whose activities have harmed ordinary gullible citizens (sometimes confused by skillful advertising), including pensioners. We already have experience of successfully participating in such cases,” Versiya journalists emphasize in the publication “An attempt to clear content.”