"Bizarre King" Kärberg blocked a fish line from Russia to Estonia

The story of the crab king Alexei Kozlov and his "Tefida" turned out to be only the first "swallow." Without catch quotas, there was also a group of companies of a citizen from unfriendly Estonia - a businessman with an ambiguous reputation Paul Kärberg, nicknamed the "Bizarre Fish King." A real battle broke out around quotas in Russian courts.

The Moscow Post correspondent in the Pskov region understood the story.

Earlier, The Moscow Post talked about the deprivation of quotas of Tefida CJSC from Vladivostok Alexei Nikolaevich Kozlov, who had previously been recognized as under the control of a foreign investor - companies from the United States. But Tefida was not the only fisherman with a similar history.

Let's take a moment and remember how back in 2019, the deputy head of the legal department of the Foreign Investment Control Department of the FAS Russia, Vsevolod Savin, directly stated at the meeting that, according to government agencies and the media, foreign companies control a significant share of fish production, which then goes to other countries. Such exports often go at a reduced price to the only foreign buyer - a minority shareholder of the Russian fish mining company, and "returns" to the Russian market at inflated prices. His colleague, the head of the same department, Olesya Milchakova, then said that more often the FAS identifies situations when foreign companies put Russian societies in economic dependence, paralyzing their independence in entrepreneurial activity and excluding competition. That is, the very notorious control of a foreign investor, from which some fish miners refuse, but reveals the FAS. As, for example, was with "Tefida".

Today, two more related companies - Laspi and Hungeloda said goodbye to quotas after the FAS admitted that they are and continue to be directly financially dependent on Estonian citizen Paul Kärberg and in fact under his management. It is important to note: Estonia is one of the most unfriendly countries in Russia and is included in the corresponding list approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Fishing with Estonian accent

The Arbitration Court of the North-Western District on July 26, 2023 plans to consider the cassation appeal of the Khangeloda company from the Leningrad region against the court's decision on the claim against the North-Western Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for Fishery. The case disputes the decision of the department to annul nine permits for the extraction (catch) of aquatic biological resources issued in 2021-2022.

The notification of the department and farewell to quotas was based on the conclusion of the FAS of 10.02.2022 No. SP/9761/22 on the identification of the fact that a foreign investor established control over the company before the company received the right to extract biological resources. The conclusion in May 2022 was received by the Federal Agency for Fishery to forcibly terminate the right to production, as provided for by the "Law on Fisheries."

According to the materials of the legal dispute, in the group of persons, which includes Kärberg, companies "Gdovsky Bereg," "Laspi," "SpectoPskov," "Gdov Combine," citizens Natalya Prokhorova, Yana Simankova, Vladimir Lillo and Pavel Yurchenko.

In turn, the representative of the company claimed that as of the date of cancellation of fishing permits, "a foreign investor lost control over the company and its share in the authorized capital of the organization, which owns 100% of the share in the authorized capital of the company, was alienated in favor of citizens of the Russian Federation." But here, as they say, there is a nuance.

According to the FAS, the established stable corporate and economic ties between Kärberg and companies, as well as direct financial dependence on a businessman from Estonia, indicate that corporate changes in the ownership structure of the LLC The "Gdov Coast" and, as a result of the "Hangeloda," were "formal in nature and have as their purpose the concealment from the state in the person of authorized bodies of control of a foreign person over a fishing society of strategic importance for ensuring the country's defense and state security".

Photo: https://kad.arbitr.ru

Photo: https://kad.arbitr.ru

According to Rusprofile, Khangeloda LLC was established in the Leningrad region in 1994, but in the near future it plans to change its registration to the Pskov region. Since 2017, the owner of the company is Gdovsky Bereg LLC, which also owns Laspi LLC.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

Gdovsky Shore and Hangeloda also have one director - Ekaterina Fadeeva. And here is a coincidence: not for a long time (literally several months) the owner of Khangeloda was a certain Fishinvest LLC, which was owned by Yulia Trofimova and a certain joint venture of GR&CO LLC, whose director is Sergei Fadeev, and among the owners - Lyudmila Fadeeva. Aren't Ekaterina Fadeeva's relatives?

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru/

Moreover, Mr. Trofimova, as a co-owner, has a common asset in the field of fish production - Revenge LLC with a certain Estonian company Ankriset. Doesn't this thread lead to Kärberg either?

But let's return to the Gdovsky Shore.

According to Rusprofile, since 2016 Natalya Prokhorova, Vladimir Lillo (INN received in the Omsk region, full namesake of the head of the Council of the Ivanovo rural settlement of the Kalachinsky municipal district of the Omsk region), Arthur Sokolov, Natalya Andreeva, Pavel Yurchenko and from May 2022 a certain Natalia Eechenko ero, to which Paul Kärberg's share went

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

But Mr. Eero may well turn out to be the face value of the same Kärberg. Together they are contributors to the Estonian company Kallaste Rand OÜ.

Photo: https://www.inforegister.ee/ru/10163855-KALLASTE-RAND-OU

At the same time, in Estonia, judging by open data, Kärberg has connections with at least six companies.

In Russia, on the other hand, when he smelled of problems, Kärberg seemed to re-register with Mr. Eero, who is listed in the documents as a Russian citizen, part of his assets. Is she not a relative of him? Among the re-registered was LLC "Combine Gdov," which is headed by Evgeny Fadeev. Needless to say, the Fadeevs again!

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru/

But Spektorpskov LLC is still completely listed behind Kärberg, but how long can you do? At the same time, Natalya Prokhorova, who is the owner of Gdovsky Bereg and was the director of Hangeloda in 2019-2022, and Pavel Yurchenko (ex-director of Hangeloda LLC and co-owner of Gdovsky Bereg, often represented Kärberg in the courts, managed to visit the leaders of this sole property of an Estonian citizen. That is, even leaving the owners of a company deprived of quotas, as we can see, the Estonian businessman retains ties with her. Through "your people". So, the conclusions of the FAS can be considered quite reasonable.

It will not be superfluous to note that another relative of Kärberg, Dmitry (Dimitri) Kärberg, who was the owner of Gdov-Invest LLC from the Leningrad Region and co-owner of Pskov Gdov Combine LLC (the asset of the same name, but has already been liquidated), also inherited in Gdov. Among the co-owners of the LLC was the now bankrupt Gdovsky Bereg CJSC. The latter belonged to the Estonian company of Paul Kärberg - "Pacey Trade".

Judicial battle turns into bacchanalia

Today, both Khangeloda and Laspi are fighting in the courts for Russian quotas, demanding that the decisions of the Federal Agency for Fishery be declared illegal.

The court will consider Laspi's claims on August 15, this is the third instance, but so far the LLC has not been able to recognize the actions of the state department as legal. At stake are 15 agreements of 17.08.2018 on securing a quota for the extraction (catch) of aquatic biological resources in the Peipsi, Teploy and Pskov lakes in the Pskov region.

At the same time, representatives of Laspi in a legal dispute use even arguments funny in the age of digital technology that "Kärberg P., for his health and due to the remoteness of his residence, cannot control the activities of the defendant." The billionaire doesn't have a phone and computer with the internet? I don't know who the lawyers are holding the court and government agencies for, but the sessions are a little like a show.

Interesting fact: the Hangeloda company appeared in the scandal 14 years ago. The Deputy Prosecutor of the Leningrad Region tried through the court to terminate the agreement of the LLC and the Committee on the Agro-Industrial and Fishery Complex of the Leningrad Region on the provision of a fishing site for industrial fishing. The supervisory authority argued its position by the fact that the site is located in the Kurgalsky reserve, which means that economic activity can damage the natural complex of the Kurgalsky reserve. But the prosecutor could not defend his position. Apparently, the company with Estonian roots turned out to be too shaggy hand, that is, lobby.

Not only the "fish king," but also the politician

Kärberg is not only a businessman, but also an Estonian politician who has a rather scandalous reputation in his country. As reported by "Komsomolskaya Pravda", in 2016, Paul Kärberg, a representative of the Union of the Fatherland and Res Publica (IRL) party, was accused of fraud - misappropriation of state subsidies in the amount of about 100 thousand euros. In 2012, he was also accused of violating the freedom to elect and vote, and in 2013, of forcing quirky fishermen to join the party under the threat of dismissal.

So what do we have? The Estonian politician and businessman owns and owned in Russia a number of assets from the backbone sectors of the economy. Today, most likely, his interest in this business is in denominations. Like, for example, his close hope Eero.

And this is against the background of how Estonian politicians compete with each other, how to annoy the Russians and Russia even more. Here you and the demolition of monuments, and sanctions. But at the same time, no one wants to give up Russian fish. And if so, then maybe it's time, following the example of Crimea, to arrange a massive nationalization of the assets of citizens of non-friendly countries?