“What’s wrong here?”: Sechin first appeared in court in the case of Ulyukaev. The head of Rosneft called his speech in court on the complaint of Ulyukaev a matter of honor Political career of Alexei Ulyukaev

Igor Sechin nevertheless testified in the Ulyukaev case in court. The interrogation of the head of Rosneft took place behind closed doors and lasted an hour and a half.

Consideration of a complaint against a sentence to a minister economic development Alexey Ulyukaev in the Moscow City Court began today.

Well, Sechin testified, so what?

The trial of Ulyukaev in the court of first instance began on August 8 and ended on December 15, 2017. The head of Rosneft was sent a summons several times, but he never came to court, limiting himself to written testimony. Ulyukayev's defenders insisted that the court could not refer to such testimony.

Therefore, the appearance of Igor Sechin in court became a small sensation. He himself did not talk to reporters, and the company's press secretary Mikhail Leontiev explained that no one pressed Sechin, he came to court "when the opportunity arose."

“He is a law-abiding citizen,” Mikhail Leontiev emphasized.

Why behind closed doors?

As the prosecutor explained, the journalists were not allowed into the courtroom, since it would be about buying a stake in Bashneft, and this information is a commercial secret of the Rosneft company.

Ulyukaev himself and his lawyers objected to the closed interrogation. According to lawyers, during the trial, the former minister of economic development and his deputies, as well as the head of the Federal Property Management Agency, were interrogated, and in these cases there was no talk of a closed regime.

And who is Ulyukaev?

Aleksei Valentinovich Ulyukaev is an economist who was an associate of Yegor Gaidar and an adviser to the Yeltsin government during economic reforms in the 1990s. From 2000 to 2004, he worked as First Deputy to the then Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin, and in 2013 he headed the Ministry of Economic Development. On November 15, 2016, he was detained on suspicion of bribery.

Ulyukaev bribed Sechin?

Vice versa. Allegedly, Ulyukaev demanded a bribe after the successful completion of the transaction for the purchase of shares by Rosneft state company Bashneft. The Ministry of Economic Development gave a positive opinion, and Rosneft acquired a controlling stake in Bashneft - 50.08 percent for 330 billion rubles.

As an award for Good work Ulyukaev demanded $2 million, otherwise his agency would have created problems for the company. Sechin agreed, and after receiving the money, the head of the Ministry of Economic Development was caught red-handed.

And why wasn't Sechin detained?

According to the materials of the investigation, after Ulyukaev's suggestion, Oleg Feoktistov, the head of the security service of Rosneft, who previously worked for the FSB, filed an application addressed to the director of the service, Alexander Bortnikov, in which he announced a demand for a bribe. Under the statement is the signature of Igor Sechin. Moreover, the head of Rosneft agreed to participate in the operational experiment and handed over the money personally.

That is, Ulyukaev was detained because of Sechin's statement?

Yes. However, an unnamed law enforcement source told reporters that Ulyukaev had been under FSB surveillance for more than a year before his arrest. However, whether this was related to bribery or any other issues is unknown.

Oleg Feoktistov, then head of Rosneft's security service, holds the rank of FSB general and left government service shortly before the Ulyukaev case arose. The ex-minister of economic development himself calls the case against himself a provocation, and Feoktistova considers it the main organizer.

How did it happen?

The money was in a bag that Ulyukaev took from Sechin's office. During the arrest, the then Minister of Economic Development stated that there was a gift in the bag (and, as the defense insists, he was really sure of this). However, operatives found money in it, previously processed by a special compound.

Traces of the substance were found on the hands of Ulyukayev and his driver. He said that he helped Ulyukaev put the bag in the trunk. This means that the bag itself was treated with special equipment.

The court was provided with audio recordings made in Sechin's office during their conversation with Ulyukaev. However, the words "money" or "bribe" are not found in them. We are talking about a certain task that Rosneft employees completed. Sechin apologizes that the process dragged on. Also, a "sausage basket" is mentioned several times.

Forensic experts came to the conclusion that the conversations are a kind of cipher, where both interlocutors know perfectly well what is at stake. But did they mean the same thing?

Did Sechin give sausage to Ulyukaev? What for?

The notorious sausage basket has already become a kind of meme on the net. However, Igor Sechin really had a habit of giving sausage to friends and partners. Naturally, we are not talking about the usual products of meat processing plants. Sechin is fond of hunting, and delicacies from the meat of wild animals killed by a top manager of Rosneft are cooked in one of the company's offices. And then unique sausages, frankfurters and sausages get into gift sets.

So the offer to take Ulyukaev's sausage basket would not have surprised him in any case.

Ulyukaev pleaded not guilty?

No. Today, the Moscow City Court is considering a complaint in which lawyers ask to acquit the ex-minister. According to Ulyukaev's defenders, the verdict of the court of first instance is based on conjecture and accusatory bias, and no real evidence of guilt has been provided.

Is there really no real evidence?

The court evaluates the evidence presented.

However, the trial against Ulyukaev is called strange by many. In the verdict, the judge of the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow, Larisa Semenova, referred to the fact that the statement of Feoktistov and Sechin was a confirmation of the guilt of the ex-minister, but in existing practice this is only a pretext for initiating a criminal case.

Oleg Feoktistov became the main witness in the case in the absence of Igor Sechin. However, he gave testimony from hearsay, and he himself was not present during the conversation between Sechin and Ulyukaev.

One way or another, the court considered the evidence provided sufficient and found Ulyukaev guilty of taking a bribe from the head of Rosneft. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in a strict regime colony and a fine of 130.4 million rubles.

The verdict was criticized by Mikhail Kasyanov, Alexei Kudrin, Ksenia Sobchak and Grigory Yavlinsky.

Alexey Ulyukaev is one of the once important political figures in modern Russia. He was an associate and adviser in the Yeltsin government. Pri served as Deputy Minister of Finance and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank, then moved to the chair of the Minister of Economic Development. In 2016, Alexey Ulyukaev was at the center of a bribery scandal and became the first Russian federal minister to be imprisoned on charges of corruption.

Childhood and youth

Ulyukaev Alexey Valentinovich was born on March 23, 1956 in the Russian capital in the family of a professor at the Moscow Institute of Land Management Engineers Valentin Khusainovich. His ancestral roots come from the Ulyanovsk region of the Starokulatkinsky district, 95% of whose inhabitants are Tatars, which left no questions about the nationality of the financier.

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Politician Alexey Ulyukaev

The young years of the biography of the future Minister of Finance of Russia passed, like many children in the Soviet era: he did not particularly show desire and aspiration to study, preferring the yard company to the sciences taught at school.

Therefore, by the time he graduated from an educational institution, Alexei was able to receive an average certificate, the grades in which did not allow him to enter Moscow State University the first time. The following year, Ulyukaev nevertheless became a student at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, where he proved to be one of the best students with high academic performance.

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In 1979, after graduating from Moscow State University, Alexei Valentinovich went to graduate school and already in 1983 he defended his thesis, receiving a Ph.D. in economics.

Even before graduating from graduate school, Ulyukaev began teaching at MISI, where he was initially hired as an assistant in the department of political economy, and then transferred to the position of associate professor. In 1988, the future "economic brain" of the government graduated from the French University of Pierre Mendes-France with a doctorate in economics.

Politics

Alexei Ulyukaev's political interest in the country's economy arose back in the distant 80s, when he met the reformers Yegor Gaidar and at economic seminars. In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, Ulyukaev was given the position of economic adviser to the new Russian government, while simultaneously working as a political observer for the Moscow News newspaper.

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Minister Alexei Ulyukaev

Two years later, at the height of the revival of the new economic system of the Russian Federation, he was appointed adviser to the vice-premier of the country, participated in the implementation of Gaidar's reforms, which later became known as "shock therapy". In 1994, after Gaidar's resignation, Alexei Ulyukaev followed him and became deputy reformer at the Institute for the Problems of the Economy in Transition.

Since 2000, the economist's political career began to gain momentum - he was appointed to the post of First Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, where he oversaw monetary policy and financing of the country's security forces. At the same time, Alexei Ulyukaev did not quit teaching and received the post of professor at the Department of General Economics of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

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In 2004, Alexey Valentinovich was transferred to the Central Bank of Russia, where he took the post of First Deputy Chairman of the assignee of the State Bank of the USSR. Here, in addition to his main duties, he took on the role of a speaker, constantly appearing in the press and on TV screens with public statements regarding the policy of the Central Bank.

In 2008, the official was appointed chairman of the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange. For his high professionalism in 2013, Ulyukaev was predicted to be the head of the board of the Central Bank, but Russian President Vladimir Putin recommended this position. But the merits of Alexei Valentinovich did not go unnoticed - he headed the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

Arrest and trial

A scandalous incident occurred in 2006, when the future Minister of Economic Development delayed the Moscow-Sochi flight due to the fact that his wife did not have enough space in the business class. Then he had a fight with the commander of the aircraft, but in the end, together with his wife, he moved to a private plane, in whose company he went to the resort town.

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Alexey Ulyukaev

On the night of November 15, 2016, an all-Russian scandal erupted. With a difference of less than an hour, two messages were published on the official website of the Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency. The first belonged to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov and reported that Alexei Ulyukaev had been detained, but the President of the country did not yet know about this event. The source of the second message was law enforcement agencies, which explained that the monitoring of the politician was carried out during the year.

The day before these official statements, on November 14, Alexey Ulyukaev was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe in an especially large amount ($ 2 million) for a positive assessment issued by the Ministry of Economic Development, which allowed Rosneft Oil Company PJSC to carry out a deal to acquire a state-owned stake in PJSC ANK Bashneft. In addition, there were rumors that Ulyukaev was accused not of taking a bribe, but of extortion, as well as threats against representatives of Rosneft.

Arrested Alexei Ulyukaev

On November 15, the Basmanny Court of Moscow released Aleksey Ulyukaev from custody. The politician was placed under house arrest for 2 months. And on the same day, after the indictment, President Putin dismissed Ulyukaev from the post of head of the Ministry of Economic Development due to the loss of confidence.

In January 2017, the court extended the home detention of Alexei Ulyukaev until April of the same year and seized the property of the ex-minister. In total, he lost the opportunity to dispose of 15 real estate objects and funds in the amount of at least 564 million rubles.

In May 2017, Ulyukaev's case received a continuation: to a former politician. But the trial did not start on the scheduled day. The delay in the consideration of the case was caused by the fact that representatives of the politician's defense filed three voluminous petitions with the court. Only after a detailed consideration of these appeals did the case go to court. As a result, the process began on August 8.

The defense of Alexei Ulyukaev voiced a request to return the politician's case to the prosecutor's office, the lawyers noted that the indictment contradicts the charges. On August 16, the Zamoskvoretsky Court denied this request to the ex-minister and did not agree with the position of the defenders on the issue of the legitimacy of the charges.

for more than three months he considered the criminal case of Aleksey Ulyukaev and eventually sentenced him to eight years in prison and a large fine. He himself considers the court's decision unfair and continues to hope for a successful appeal against the verdict.

This is the first criminal case against a Russian federal minister. Pravo.ru tells briefly and clearly about how he was detained and what he was tried for.

Who is Alexey Ulyukaev?

Alexei Valentinovich is 61 years old, he began his career in the Government in 1991, when he was appointed economic adviser to the government, by 2000 he managed to "reach the rank" of the first assistant to the chairman, then he was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin. Since 2004, Ulyukaev has been deputy chairman of the Central Bank, and in 2013 he took the chair of the Minister of Economic Development of the country.

What happened?

In 2016, there was a privatization of Bashneft, the Rosneft company wanted to buy its shares, but faced resistance from the Ministry of Economic Development and Ulyukaev personally. He publicly said that Rosneft could not take part in the privatization because it was partially owned by the state. Chapter oil company answered him that Rosneft was not going to spend budget money on the purchase.

As a result, Ulyukaev agreed to issue a positive conclusion of the ministry to Rosneft, but for a bribe of $2 million.

Persons

Prosecutors: the ex-minister Boris Neporozhny and Pavel Filipchuk were accused.

Lawyers: Ulyukaev was defended by Darejan Kveidze, Victoria Burkovskaya, Timofey Gridnev and Larisa Kashtanova.

Witnesses: Head of the Rosneft Department, Director of the Corporate Governance Department of the Ministry of Economic Development, Ulyukaev's personal driver, Head of the Department of Property Relations and Privatization of the Largest Organizations of the Federal Property Management Agency, Head of the Federal Property Management Agency and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, General Director of VTB Capital Bank, Special Correspondent of Life, Ulyukaeva's Secretary, Service Manager Rosneft security officer, FSB officer, former FSB general, Deputy Minister of Energy, head of the corporate governance department of the Ministry of Economic Development, department adviser information technologies in the Ministry of Economic Development , Professor of the Department of Forensic Examinations of Moscow State Law Academy named after OE Kutafin , expert .

Position and arguments of the prosecution:

• Ulyukaev demanded a bribe.
• The money and the bag were treated with a special chemical, which was later found on Ulyukaev's hands.
• In an audio recording of a conversation with a bribe-giver (the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin), they discuss the bribe and that they have collected "not the full amount."
• It was the minister who initiated the meeting between Sechin and Ulyukaev.
• The alleged court decision: 10 years in prison and a fine of 500 million rubles.

The position and arguments of the defense side:

• Igor Sechin himself provoked Ulyukaev to take a bribe.
• The audio recording does not mean a bribe at all, but another "amount" needed by Rosneft to buy back shares.
• The minister didn't know what was in the bag, and there were marks on his fingers because he straightened it in the trunk of the car.
• Initially, Ulyukaev could not single-handedly influence the purchase of Bashneft shares.
• Ulyukaev was set up to get him out of the way of Rosneft, which is seeking to buy Bashneft.
• Expected decision of the court: acquit.

What did the court decide?

The court found Aleksey Ulyukaev guilty of accepting a bribe and sentenced him to eight years in a strict regime colony and a fine in the amount of a single bribe, that is, 130 million rubles.

• Ulyukaev spent a year in the "development" of law enforcement officers: they listened to his phone and followed him.
• The amount of the bribe is $2 million, which is more RUB 130 million
• Ulyukaev received 18,000 banknotes stacked in 180 packs; listing them in the case takes 55 pages.
• Mass of a bag with money - 21.95 kg.
• Ulyukaev was under house arrest 395 days It's exactly 1 year and 1 month.
• The court held 20 meetings before proceeding to debate and pronounce judgment.
• In the case of Ulyukaev 29 volumes(it is approximately 7,250 sheets).

Alexey Ulyukaev writes poetry. Many of his works are even called "prophetic" by many. For example, this:

They told him: emboss that-buy a house.
He believed-and went crazy.
So we often regret and cry later,
What fell into the machinations of agur,
What is in the mines in search of mountains of gold
We are always and everywhere to blame.
The rivers are filled with this guilt, and from them
Drink, as before, slaves and soldiers.

Read more about his criminal case in the material "Pravo.ru", timed to coincide with the anniversary of the arrest of the ex-minister:.

“In September, the Ministry of Economic Development radically changed its position: Rosneft could already be admitted to privatization. Why? Maybe we were convincing in our letters,” said Baranov.

• ​Tarasenko spoke about the preparations for the privatization of Bashneft. The prosecutor noted contradictions between the protocol of interrogation of Tarasenko by the investigators and her testimony at the trial.

Rosneft, having bought a stake in Bashneft at the maximum price, will increase its capitalization. And since the state-owned company is itself in the process of privatization, it will be better for the budget if it becomes more expensive. The department included these allegations in the report. However, then Ulyukaev personally crossed them out.

• On September 5, the court will hear the testimony of witnesses: Advisor to the Department of Corporate Governance of the Ministry of Economic Development Julia Moskvitina. And also began the study of the materials of the case.
• Moskvitina participated in the preparation of a report to the government and to the legal entities that were involved in the deal to sell Bashneft shares. She says that Ulyukaev made changes to the report to the government, but the adviser does not remember what exactly he crossed out. At the last meeting, Tarasenko said that the ex-minister crossed out the phrase about the inappropriateness of limiting the participation of state-owned companies in privatization. According to Moskvitina, he did not cross out these words.

"We have not received any instructions to delay or postpone the privatization of Bashneft."

• The prosecutor read out a statement from Oleg Feoktistov (at that time he was in charge of the security service of Rosneft) addressed to the director of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov. According to Feoktistov, he received information from Sechin that Ulyukayev demanded a bribe of $2 million. This is also stated in the report addressed to Ivan Tkachev, head of department "K" of the 6th service of the FSB, which is read out by the prosecutor.
• The prosecutor read out the transcript of the conversation between Ulyukaev and Sechin in the courtyard of the Rosneft building on Sofiyskaya Embankment: “The audio recording device was issued to Sechin.”

• September 7 court testimony of a witness for the prosecution, head of the department of property relations and privatization of the largest organizations of the Federal Property Management Agency Evgeniya Stolyarova. In his own words, he did not take part in any meeting on the privatization of Bashneft, and Ulyukaev's position on this issue is known to him exclusively from the media.

“Well, I only know about this from the media, I didn’t communicate with the minister on this matter. The media wrote that the Ministry of Economic Development has no objection to the participation of Rosneft in the deal.

• The driver of the Ministry of Economic Development was also interrogated Ilya Makarov. On November 15, he brought Ulyukaev to Rosneft. He told how the ex-minister was detained.
• On September 11, the testimony of witnesses for the prosecution: Dmitry Pristanskov, head of the Federal Property Management Agency, Alexei Yakovitsky, general director of VTB Capital, and Alexander Yunashev, special correspondent for Life.
• Pristanskov was directly subordinate to Ulyukaev, at the trial he told how the process of preparing for the privatization of Bashneft went. When asked if Pristanskov received any instructions from Ulyukaev to slow down the Bashneft deal, he answered in the negative. Like other witnesses, he stated that restrictions for state-owned companies when buying a company could only be established by a separate act of the government.​

- Could Ulyukaev introduce a draft of such a restrictive act?

— Yes, after agreement with other executive authorities.

- Did Minister Ulyukaev work on the preparation of such an act?

- I don't know about it. But the draft of such an act had to be coordinated with the Federal Property Management Agency.

• VTB Capital acted as an agent in the privatization of Bashneft. Yakovitsky At the trial, he said that he had not heard of any restrictions on participation in the transaction.
• Yunashev- Correspondent of the presidential pool. In October 2016, he covered Putin's participation in the BRICS summit in India. According to investigators, it was there that Ulyukaev extorted a bribe from Sechin. The witness did not hear their conversation about this.

“Someone was relaxing on sofas, someone was playing billiards. I came closer and saw Kostin, Sechin and a little further away Alexei Valentinovich Ulyukaev. The cameraman and I removed them, and then decided to approach. "What are you playing?" we asked. “To the oil rigs,” Kostin replied. "All".

• On September 13, to testify, Ulyukaeva, who worked in 2016 as a secretary Irina Dyutina, security manager at Rosneft Vadim Derevyagin.
• During the preliminary investigation, Dyutina got acquainted with the contents of the recording, during which Sechin and Ulyukaev agreed to meet at the Rosneft office on the day of the arrest, and recognized the voice of the boss. It was Dyutina who connected Ulyukaev with Sechin during their conversation.
• Derevyagin was with Sechin on a business trip to Goa in October, where, according to investigators, Ulyukayev extorted a bribe, and arrived there in advance to take the necessary security measures. At the time of his arrest, the witness was preparing for a business trip and “was not involved in ensuring security at the Rosneft office.”

- How much time did Sechin and Ulyukaev spend together? the prosecutor asks.

“I can’t say for sure, but I think that no more than five minutes,” Derevyagin answers.

- Did they communicate?

Yes, we talked. But I did not hear the conversation - I was standing at least ten meters away.

Did Kostin participate in the conversation?

- I can not say, I did not focus attention.

- When did you return to Moscow?

— At the end of the summit.

• When the meeting was over, Ulyukaev's lawyer Darijan Kveidze said that, according to Sechin's testimony, while playing billiards at the BRICS summit in Goa, Ulyukaev showed him two fingers. The lawyer believes that only Sechin himself can say that in this way the ex-minister extorted a bribe of $ 2 million from the head of Rosneft, if he speaks in court.
• September 18 FSB officer Alexey Kalugin.
• Kalugin detained Ulyukaev on November 15, 2016. He received an order to go to the office of Rosneft from the head of the K department, Ivan Tkachev. The conversation with the lawyer turned out to be tense, he insisted that the detention procedure was held with violations.

“You actually interrogated him,” Gridnev insisted. “No, I suggested that he voluntarily lay out the contents of his pockets. He had the right to refuse. Then I would have hacked the bag with something, ”the witness answered.

• On September 20, behind closed doors, the ex-head of the Rosneft security service Oleg Feoktistov. Journalists managed to ask him only one question:

- Do you sleep well at night?

- Fabulous.

• On December 4, the BBC released a transcript of the interrogation of Feoktistov. From it it became known that he personally found the money to transfer to Ulyukaev, borrowing it "from his good friend, a private investor." FSB officers brought the money to the Rosneft office. He also explained under what circumstances Ulyukaev allegedly demanded a bribe from Sechin:

“He [Sechin] told me in more detail that the conversation took place in one of the halls, during a break, that at first they discussed the results of the deal itself, then allegedly Mr. Ulyukaev said that this and that, everything went fine, the deal was closed, that in this is his merit, and, putting two fingers to the lapel, he said that he needed to take a certain volume. He [Ulyukaev] put two fingers to the lapel of his jacket and showed the amount. From which it was concluded that the amount of 2 million dollars.

• The prosecution did not name witnesses, so the court examined the case file. A report was read of the inspection of the Mercedes car, a report of the inspection of Ulyukaev’s iPad and the Rosneft booklet found in the car, a record of the seizure of video recordings from surveillance cameras in the Rosneft office, a report of the inspection of the gift set (items from it were not named), the inspection was announced Money seized from Ulyukaev. The FSB, when examining the scene of the incident, made mistakes when recalculating banknotes. So, some of them are mentioned twice in the protocol.
• A video was watched of Sechin, Kostin and Ulyukaev playing billiards in the lobby of a hotel in the Indian state of Goa and their dialogue with the operator of the Life TV channel was heard.
• The prosecutor read a letter from Sechin to President Putin dated July 21, 2016. It says that for last years Rosneft strengthened its positions, became the largest company and the largest taxpayer in Russia. Sechin writes that the takeover of Bashneft would be a logical step in the light of the future sale of the stake in Rosneft itself and would provide synergy of 160 billion rubles. He asks Putin to approve the sale and instruct the government to prepare the deal.

During his interrogation, the head of the Rosneft investor relations department, Andrey Baranov, said that the company did not send any requests to the president, but in his letter they simply announced their intention to participate in privatization.​

• On October 12, the court records the meetings between Sechin and Ulyukaev in Goa and the office of Rosneft on November 14, 2016. One of the frames at the company's office shows how Sechin meets Ulyukaev at the company's office and hands over the bag in which the money was found during the search.

Video: The Bell / YouTube

• As Ulyukayev's lawyers after the meeting, the former minister was sure that there was wine in this bag.

• On November 28, he himself testified in court Ulyukaev. He called the actions of the head of Rosneft a provocation, the testimony - a slander, and the opinion that the purchase of Bashneft is unacceptable - his personal position.
• Ulyukaev also spoke about his conversation with Sechin in Goa.

“I noticed billiard tables near which [VTB President Andrey] Kostin and Sechin were standing. He came over to greet his colleagues. Sechin and I had a short conversation. Sechin said that we did a good job preparing this deal, and I should note it worthy. He twisted the "hole" in my jacket, hinting at the submission to the state award. “I will treat you to wine like you have never tasted. You deserve it for a good job."

• Myself Sechin, despite being subpoenaed four times, never appeared in court to testify. The court considered the reasons for non-appearance valid.

Why they came for Ulyukaev

As a source told RBC, Ulyukaev was under development by law enforcement agencies for at least a year. At the end of the summer, the court issued permission to wiretap his phone. Engaged in operational support federal Service security, and supervised the operation of the head of the department own security FSB Oleg Feoktistov, who in September 2016 moved to the position of vice president of Rosneft.

Head of Rosneft Igor Sechin, according to him, came to the meeting of the Moscow City Court for consideration appeal on the sentence of the former Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev as soon as the opportunity arose. He told TASS about this.

Honor visit

« I hoped that the court of first instance would accept my affidavit, but unfortunately this did not happen. Therefore, as soon as the opportunity arose, I came to court. For me, this was a matter of principle, because I wanted my testimony to be taken into account by the court. I am the main witness and for me it was a matter of honor", - he said.

The head of Rosneft noted that testifying in court in the Ulyukaev case was a matter of honor for him. Sechin also said and confirmed in court his position on the ex-minister's unlawful demand for remuneration.

According to him, the fight against corruption in Russia with the Ulyukaev case received an additional result.

Change of positions

The interrogation of the head of Rosneft lasted an hour and a half today and. The judge made such a decision, satisfying the petition of the prosecutor's office. The prosecution referred to the need to “preserve the trade secrets of Rosneft”.

The defense insisted that Sechin answer questions openly. Lawyers recalled that numerous commercial and government documents had already been examined in court.

After the interrogation, journalists and spectators were called back to the meeting room. The defense asked to postpone consideration of her complaint for two weeks. " Our whole position was based on the lack of evidence from Sechin. Now we need to change position. Please take time to prepare", - argued the lawyer Darijan Kveidze. The judge granted her request only partially, announcing a break until 14:00, RIA Novosti writes.

Recall that on December 15, 2017, the Moscow City Court Alexei Ulyukaev was sentenced to eight years in a strict regime colony, having found him guilty of taking a bribe from Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin. According to the version of the prosecution, which was supported by the court, Ulyukaev demanded from Sechin $2 million for non-obstruction of the deal on the corporation's purchase of Bashneft shares. At the same time, the charge of extortion was dropped from Ulyukaev.

The most weighty evidence in the Ulyukaev case was the words of Sechin himself, who announced that he was extorting a bribe from the FSB, and later handed over a bag of money to the minister. At the same time, Ulyukaev himself believed that the bag contained a wine gift promised to him by Sechin at a previous meeting. The investigation could not provide other evidence of Ulyukaev's guilt, but what was enough for the court.

It should be noted that Sechin was summoned to court for questioning four times, but each time he avoided appearing, hiding behind business trips. As a result, his testimony was never read out in court. FROM court decision the ex-minister did not agree, called his case a provocation and the result of a slander on the part of Sechin, who found it beneficial to remove him, and filed an appeal.