Menatep paper trail
By Lucy Komisar
The Russia Journal has learned that a French woman of Russian origin, with thousands of papers related to the Menatep business group and its offshore banking and dealings over the past decade, has been providing information to Russian prosecutors.
Yelena Collongues-Popova, 49, a Russian living in Paris, claims that she worked for Mikhail Khodorkovsky associate Alexei Golubovich from 1996 to 2000. She has boxes of papers relating to the Menatep, Rosprom, Yukos and Avisma companies, all linked to Khodorkovsky’s rise to riches and fame. French and Swiss police and prosecutors are examining numerous papers of transfers of stocks of these companies for finding evidence of what Collongues-Popova claims to be evidence of forgery.
Collongues-Popova has also filed criminal charges in Switzerland against Golubovich, charging that he forged her signature on a transfer of a loan to one his companies.
Khodorkovsky was arrested in October by Russian prosecutors and charged with seven counts of fraud, embezzlement, forgery and tax evasion. Golubovich is said to have fled to London, but there is no warrant for his arrest. However, French businessman Roger Kinsbourg, who has lived with Collongues-Popova for 10 years, said that Golubovich’s brokerage, Russian Investors OAO, which held shares of Yukos and other companies on behalf of “clients,” is "the target of an inquiry by the Russian Interior Ministry, the MVD.” Kinsbourg said that Golubovich has offered to have MVD agents meet with his lawyers in London. The Russia Journal could not reach Golubovich for comment, but has seen documents sent by Russian prosecutors to Collongues-Popova for questions on stocks transfers to various Yukos owners and offshore subsidiaries or associates.
http://www.russiajournal.com/news/cnews-article.shtml?nd=41206
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