BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 10. Russian media sources have been circulating a conversation revealing that Russian billionaire of Armenian origin Ruben Vardanyan, who used to be the so-called "state minister" of the separatists in Azerbaijan's Karabakh and was later dismissed from his "post", has been helping Former Chief of the Presidential Administration of Russia Anatoly Chubais launder money, Trend reports.
The recording of the wiretapping of one of Anatoly Chubais' conversations with Ilya Suchkov, an entrepreneur who helped to build the Chubais Palace in the Moscow region has been published in the media. In this conversation, Chubais informs Suchkov that he has instructed Ruben Vardanyan to develop and pull off a money laundering scheme through the sale of a mansion in the Moscow suburban of Peredelkino near Moscow.
The main task set by Chubais to Vardanyan was Ruben's "charming diplomacy" to modernize the scheme in order to reduce taxes. The mansion worth $35-36 million had to be sold to Chubais' confidants, Boris Mints and his son for $7-8 million through a Swiss shell company also owned by Chubais. The company then went bankrupt.
But something went wrong in the negotiation process, and Ruben Vardanyan had to be involved. Here is a piece of the transcript of the negotiations between Chubais and Suchkov:
Ilya Suchkov: I didn't expect this when we agree in your presence, but Dima (Dmitry Mints) says no to me. That is, I mean, I’m sorry, but it’s the only way.
Anatoly Chubais: let's do this as I understand it now. We have changes to the "scheme" on Dima's part, which you do not accept. So it is necessary to set the task of developing a "scheme" not before Dima, but before Ruben (Ruben Vardanyan). Ruben is coming back next week, I tell him that you have a proposal for your "scheme". Then he meets with you, listens to you, maybe he won't accept it.
Ilya Suchkov: Anatoly Borisovich, this is not my "scheme", this is a "scheme" that was agreed with Ruben Karlenovich and Dmitry Borisovich.
Anatoly Chubais: Ruben is responsible for the whole "scheme" together.
...
Anatoly Chubais: I also don't want to pay a triple tax there out of nothing. I set a task for Ruben, he arrives at Tuesday-Wednesday, I will meet with him so that he attracts you and I set a task for him (Ruben Vardanyan) to conduct such "charming diplomacy".
Such is the Armenian "businessman" and "innovator". The Mints mentioned in the conversation, by the way, like Vardanyan, got rich on schemes with the money of Russian pensioners. They have a lot in common.