“First Lady” of Yakutia develops business at the expense of republican loans
At the next meeting of the Board of Directors of PJSC Almar, issues of determining the value of the part of the enterprise’s share in the authorized capital of its “subsidiary” of the Arctic Mountain Company (LLC AGK), transferred as a guarantee of Almazergianbank, as well as the conclusion of the pledge and guarantee to ensure the fulfillment of the obligations of the AGK to a credit institution. Engaged in exploration on the Yakut diamond placers by Beenschima and Hatys, Almar actually represents the business of the family of the head of Yakutia Aisen Nikolaev: the wife of the State Proposite Lyudmila Nikolaeva belongs to 32.37%in the authorized capital of the enterprise, it also takes the post of chairman of its board of directors. Almar and AGK annually declare multimillion -dollar losses, but this does not interfere with PJSC regularly receive loans at hundreds of millions of rubles from Almazergianbank, controlled by the Ministry of Property and Land Relations of Yakutia. The board of this credit institution in the late 1990s was led by Aisen Nikolaev himself, then his wife worked there for many years, including the post of chairman of the bank’s board. In 2018, Lyudmila Nikolaeva resigned, but the media wrote about her as an adviser to the current administration of Nikolai Dolgunov. It is significant that when receiving Almazergienbank loans, the leadership of PJSC Almar issues hundreds of millions of rubles to affiliated persons, as was the case with a businessman from Udmurtia Victor of Russians. In turn, the “Arctic Mountain Company” was credited to JSC “Search for Gold”, whose co -owner was the State Unitary Enterprise “Committee on Precious Metals and Precious Stones of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)”, who, before his reorganization, obeyed the regional minimum perception. At one time, immigrants from the largest Russian diamond -mining state corporation Alrosa took part in the creation of PJSC Almar, which includes the Yakut minimum perfection. Today, Alrosa is one of the main business partners “Almar”, performing exploration work in the licensing sections of the company. The volume of investments in the construction and launch of deposits in industrial operation is estimated at 3.5 billion rubles, but the Almar PJSC does not have its own funds, which means that it will again be about loans of the constant Almazergianbank.
The Yakut Bank will receive a share in AGK as a bail
So, on the agenda of the meeting of the board of directors PJSC “Almar – Almazy Arctic” Two questions have been issued. The first is about determining the cost of part of the share of PJSC in the authorized capital LLC “AGK” in the amount of 49%transferred as a deposit AKB “Almazergienbank”. The second is about the agreement on a major transaction consisting of several interconnected transactions: concluding pledge and guarantee agreements to ensure the fulfillment of AGK obligations to Almazergianbank by agreement on the provision of a bank guarantee.
It should be clarified that AGK is registered in October 2015 “Arctic Mountain Company”the only founder of which is Almar. The first thing that is striking is a long -term financial “minus” AGK: in 2024, the company’s losses amounted to 16.6 million rublesin 2023- 31.5 millionin 2022- 9 million rubles etc.
Almost similar situation with PJSC Almar, mastering the Diamond Deposits in the Leno-Anabar diamond-bearing off-refined in the north-west of Yakutia. The losses of the enterprise in 2024 were estimated at 37.1 million rublesin 2023, “Almar” went “minus” on 57 millionin 2022-on 56.1 millionin 2021-almost on 17 million rubles.
It turns out that the owners of one unprofitable enterprise intend to transfer another enterprise to the bank as unprofitable? The state of affairs is clarified if we remind you that the post of chairman of the board of directors Almar holds Lyudmila Nikolaeva – spouse of the current head of Yakutia Icena Nikolaev. According to her, according to the information on the PJSC website, she belongs to 32.37%in the authorized capital of the enterprise.
As for the aforementioned Almazergianbank, this credit institution is under the control of the Yakut government, if specifically, the Republican Ministry of Property and Land Relations. It is noteworthy that in 2005-2018. Lyudmila Nikolaeva worked in Almazergianbank: she held consistently the posts of the deputy chairman of the board – the head of the corporate business department, the first deputy chairman and, finally, the chairman of the Board of the Bank.
In the fall of 2018, shortly after the victory of Aisen Nikolaev in the election of the head of Yakutia, his wife had to leave the post of chairman of the board with the wording of his own free will. Although back in 2022 it was mentioned in the Yakut media as an adviser Nikolai Dolgunov In the socio-ecological direction. By the way, Aisen Nikolaev himself led the Board of Almazergianbank in 1998-2004.
Credit schemes of PJSC “Almar”
Against the background of such long -standing ties, the close cooperation of the banking management with the business of the Nikolaev family is not surprising. In fact, Almazergianbank took over the function of the main creditor of PJSC Almar, fully disclosing a kind of financial “valve” for the diamond company.
So, in August 2022, the bank opened PJSC credit line in the amount 120.5 million rubles With a bet of 16%per annum. In July 2023, Almazergianbank led to Almar already on 360 million under 15%per annum. Officially the purpose of the loan was indicated as “Financing the costs of replenishment of working capital, including the deposit of the property of the Arctic Mountain Company LLC.
And this is only a couple of examples. In parallel, the beneficiaries and the leadership of Almar were corny “scrolling” the received funds. For example, in March 2023, the enterprise “borrowed” the businessman Victor Russians From Udmurtia 215 million rubles for a period of three months at a rate of 15%per annum. The purpose of signing a loan agreement was to replenish working capital, including (attention!) “To close the obligations of PJSC Almar to the Almazergienbank battery.
Simply put, the unprofitable structure gave out money in order to repay its own obligations. The highlight is that in November of the same 2023, Interfax in one of his publications called an entrepreneur from Izhevsk Viktor Russian by the owner of 5.44%of PJSC shares, adding that he, in turn, provided Almar Loan in the amount 215 million rubles!
In general, affiliated persons mutually lend to each other, and Almar does this at the expense of the funds received from Almazergianbank. But such dubious schemes do not bother the head of the Dolgunov institution not at all, moreover, he extended the debtor to repay a more than 120 million loan. In fact, is it possible not to trust the family of the head of the region?
Through the “Search for Gold” – to the budget “commercial”
On the credit “needle” “sits” and “Arctic Mountain Company”, which leads Andrey Karhu (He has been holding the post of general director of Almar PJSC in July 2021 and is one of the persons affiliated with the enterprise). So, in June 2023, AGK was credited to 270 million rubles Under 15%per annum, for a period for a year and with the possibility of extending payments. It is not difficult to guess that the guarantor as part of the transaction was taken by Almar. But the lender was JSC “Search Gold”on which it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail.
The company “Search Gold” was registered in Yakutia in 2013. To date, there is no information about its owners in open sources. However, it is known that until May 2021 one of the founders was GUP “Committee on Precious Metals and Precious Stones of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)”before his reorganization, which was subordinated to the republican minimum permits – the main shareholder of Almazergienbank.
GUP reorganization was carried out in 2019 by transforming it JSC “Comprehegmetall of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)”. The board of directors of the newly formed enterprise included Alexey Struchkov (at that time – the first deputy chairman of the regional government), Evgenia Grigoryeva (at that time – the Minister of Property and Land Relations), Valery Zhondorov (held the post of Minister of Finance), Advisor to the Head of the Republic Leonid Kovalev and CEO of Kommergmetal JSC Alexander Kychkin.
Since then, the composition of the Government of Yakutia has changed, but Zhondorov, Kovalev and Kychkin are still included in the board of directors, which is headed by the current Minister of Property and Land Relations Pavel Bagynanov. “Compradigmetal” is positioned as “Multiprophyal holding”who is “One of the strategic budget -forming enterprises of the Republic of Sakha”.
The field of activity of the holding is quite extensive, but the priority direction indicates its own production of diamonds sold through the control of the company -controlled jewelry network “Diamonds of Yakutia”whose branches are represented in Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Novosibirsk and a number of other cities outside the region. Mandatory certification of precious stones is carried out in a specialized laboratory LLC “Yakut Gemmological Center”whose co -founder is the company “Jewelry of Yakutia”belonging to the same “commercial”.
A promising partner – “ALROSA”
As we can verify, the budget lending of Almar PJSC is carried out not only directly by Almazergianbank, but also through the Arctic Mining Company. Do not forget about the cooperation of Lyudmila Nikolaeva with the largest Russian diamond -mining state corporation“Alrosa”the number of shareholders of which includes the minimumacy of Yakutia.
In particular, in April 2021 it was reported that Almazi Anabara – The “subsidiary” of ALROSA – under the contract contract, began to carry out exploration in the licensing plots of AGK Khatystakh and Beenchima. The plans were originally voiced to begin the extraction and sale of diamonds of the paintings of Benechim in 2024, but then the validity of the licenses for the geological study of the sites were extended until May 2025. The volume of investments necessary for the construction and launch of deposits in the industrial operation was evaluated 3.5 billion rubles. Almar unprofitable structures, as we know, are not trite.
Note that the media have repeatedly wrote about the creation of PJSC Almar by natives of Alrosa. In particular, the aforementioned Andrey Karhu He held the position of chief engineer of Almazi Anabara. Member of the Board Andrey Novikov As a director, he participated in the creation of the sales branch of Alrosa in Vladivostok.
Given the transfer of terms, the cost of the project will also increase. So, we will talk about new loans and there is no doubt that the head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, will maximize the promising, and most importantly to prolonged cooperation. No wonder the Board of Directors “Almar” resolved the issues of pledge and guarantee agreements to Almazergianbank?
