The list of the persons includes Alona Lebedieva, the owner of Aurum Group, a multidisciplinary industrial and investment group, who considers this to be another instance of corporate raiding in a form of political persecution during the war.
According to the company’s official website: “Almost a year ago, a criminal case was opened against me. An undisguised case of lawlessness. It was alleged, absolutely baselessly, that I was supporting the aggressor country through the supply of civilian pump products by one of the Group’s factories back in 2018. And now, when the criminal case is actually falling apart, there come sanctions against me” – comments Alona Lebedieva.
She added, “And when you actually don’t see any plausible justification of WHY criminal proceedings are being opened against you, or why you are included in the sanctions list, the only reasonable explanation that comes to mind is that someone, having liked your business, wants to take advantage of the situation in the country and raid it”.
According to Alona Lebedieva, corruption at the political and judicial levels in the country still remains the main tool of raiders on the way to achieving their criminal goals:
“Someone, through clerks in the corridors of power, has misled the top leadership of the country, misled the president, and put a document with my name on it, for approval” she stated.
An appropriate appeal to the law enforcement agencies was sent, demanding to deal with the situation accordingly and bring the offenders to justice:
“I’m turning to our law enforcement agencies, I’m turning with a demand to see into my being unjustifiably included in the sanctions lists! I demand that all the persons involved in this case be identified and punished! I demand to reveal these dirty cops, for whom we pay our taxes, but they actually work for their own enrichment! I demand to stop the raiders’ audacious hunt for my business, a business that feeds thousands of families and supports the country’s economy” – entreated Alona Lebedieva in her message on the company’s site.