Jamison Firestone, “We reject the option, where we do not demand that the people who killed Magnitsky go to prison”

RFI Radio

(Translated from Original Russian)

Hermitage Capital’s lawyers demand a criminal case against the former head of the Moscow Tax Inspectorate № 28 of Olga Stepanova. Jamison Firestone (Firestone Dunken), colleague Magnitsky, answered questions from RFI.

RFI: Jamison, good morning. Attorneys «Hermitage Capital» call to investigate a new crime of tax official’s Olga Stepanova. Sergei Magnitsky has helped uncover a crime, was arrested and died. Are not you afraid that history may repeat itself?

Jamison Firestone: Of course, we’re afraid of this. But there is a problem: there is a group of people who systematically stole huge amounts of money – nearly $ 400 million – from the budget, and to hide it, they killed a man. And we just categorically reject the option where we do not require that the people who killed Sergei go to prison. So, of course, it is frightening work; But on the other hand, people killed a man, a man whom Russia should recognize as a hero, and these people should be held responsible for his murder. And in order for them to answer for this, we continue to work.

RFI: Bill Browder, has perhaps, spoken about this particular issue? What other actions or complaints, new steps will be taken?

Jamison Firestone: In this connection, I can say that Sergei did not just revealed a theft from budget, but two cases where the same group stole money.

He first learned that the gang includes Dmitry Klyuev, who owned the “Universal Savings Bank” and which got all the money, that he worked with tax office number 28 to steel $ 230 million. He also learned that there was a case a year before – in 2006 – when Dmitry Klyuev and”Universal Savings Bank” and Olga Stepanova from tax office № 28 stole another 107 million dollars. Hermitage just discovered that there was another refund made for additional $ 42 million that the tax office number 28, did in late 2007 and 2008, in total, we have found to date, 380 million dollars. All the money had been stolen from the Russian state through illegal tax refunds.

Each time it was Olga Stepanova, who approved of such a return. And each time it was this small bank, “Universal Savings Bank”, which is owned by criminals, which is owned by Dmitry Klyuev, who had already been criminally convicted once.

And interestingly enough, every time there was a theft of money, it all repeats: Olga Stepanova formally requests the Ministry of Interior, namely the one department where Artem Kuznetsov and Pavel Karpov work, to check the people asking for the refund to see if everyone is normal. Of course, they say everything is fine, even if the bank that is to receive the refund is owned by a criminal, and often even when the people who are asking for the refund are criminals. But they approve it, Stepanova approves a refund, the money comes to the bank to Klyuyev, and they they just steal the money. We now have three cases of this.

RFI: Yes, this is the third case the employees of tax authorities are enriched at the expense of citizens. And again on September 7 in the office of the Council of Europe held in Paris, “round table”, which was attended Marieluise Beck, who is preparing a report on the circumstances of the death Magnitsky. And the curious thing: the representatives of Russia to the PACE, which issued a statement on the conduct of this “round table” at the last moment refused to attend the meeting . What can you say about that? Is this is strange?

Jamison Firestone: No, it is not strange. Unfortunately, this is normal for the Russian government. I’ll tell you why it’s normal. They have a problem now: all the money that was stolen, went where it was supposed to go – into the pockets of government officials. It suits them. Sergei, unfortunately for them, ruined it all.

He showed the world what happened. And now the state should decide who is the criminal: the ones who stole the money (that is – the officials), or Magnitsky – the one who exposed it. And, of course, they do everything to justify their actions by fabricating a case against an innocent man, against the hero who revealed it and who was killed. What do you expect them to say?

Do you remember any case where the State said: “Yes, we have killed or arrested a man who was innocent, it was a huge mistake.” I do not know, I’m not aware of such a case.”We are ready to put our officials who stole money in prison !” – I’ve never heard of this happening.

This is the story in Russia. In other countries – when we learn that the people who work for the state are stealing money, we are ready to send these people to prison. But in Russia everything is different. The first task of the state – to protect their own. So they really do not want to participate in anything that helps solve these problems . They always try to prove that Magnitsky was a criminal, and that the civil servants are innocent. And it is quite normal that Stepanova and her husband Vladlen have $ 42 million, with official earnings of 30 thousand dollars a year.

RFI: It’s kind of an unrealistic wage for employees of tax authorities, in my opinion.

Jamison Firestone: These are the real wages of employees of the tax authorities – $ 42 million (laughs).

RFI: So now we know where to work.

Jamison Firestone: No, I do not want that kind of work. We need a Russia where people will see this and just say that it is shameful. We need to change the mentality a bit. займ онлайн займы онлайн на карту срочно https://www.zp-pdl.com https://www.zp-pdl.com займ на карту срочно без отказа