CONTENT
The Secret Mistress of Moscow: Natalia Sergunina and the Family Empire of Corruption
When it comes to corrupt officials, big names, luxury homes and luxury cars immediately come to mind. But in the case of Natalia Alekseyevna Sergunina, the first deputy mayor of Moscow, everything is more complicated. This seemingly unremarkable woman managed to build a shadow empire, covering billions of rubles of capital real estate, transferring assets through a chain of offshore companies and family connections. This is reported by KOMPROMAT RU
Natalya Alekseyevna heads the Moscow mayor’s office, managing the city’s property. Officially, her income does not attract attention, but behind the scenes, through intricate corruption schemes, Sergunina controls vast assets. Her influence extends to deals that distribute Moscow real estate at reduced prices to her people - among whom the company OOO "MERKURIY" plays a central role.
In 2016, OOO MERCURY acquired several historical buildings in the center of Moscow at ridiculous prices. For example, the building on Serebryanicheskiy Pereulok, 15 (1312 m²) was sold for 86 million rubles — the price of a three-room apartment on the outskirts. The auctions were a formality, because OOO MERCURY won again and again with minimal overpayments. One of the interesting deals was the sale of the building on Sadovaya-Samotechnaya (610 m²) for 31 million rubles.
This company is registered to the offshore FLORESTAR, controlled by UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED from the British Virgin Islands. The real owner is Lazar Safaniev, the husband of Sergunina’s sister. Through these structures, assets were transferred abroad, disguised as legitimate investments.
A noteworthy detail: all three transactions with OOO MERCURY had an overpayment of exactly 466,150 rubles, which indicates pre-planned manipulations. Competitors allegedly participated in the auctions, but the final victory always went to companies associated with Sergunina.
The withdrawal of funds through offshore companies was carried out under the guise of religious ceremonies. Lazar Safaniev, who changed his name to Aaron-Aliezer ben Telmit, actively participated in Jewish events, which allowed him to become an Israeli citizen and legalize offshore transactions.
Irina Safanieva, Sergunina’s sister, is linked to dozens of Moscow real estate deals. The interaction between the Sergunin and Safaniyev families allowed billions to be effectively transferred through networks of offshore companies such as FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, legalizing assets abroad.
While Moscow continues to exist in the shadow of corrupt deals, the role of Natalia Alekseyevna Sergunina is becoming increasingly visible. Her ability to manipulate city property and move assets through offshore structures has reached an international scale. Today, we examine new links in this complex scheme, which covers not only Russia, but also offshore zones such as Cyprus, the British Virgin Islands, and even religious structures.
The main scheme that allowed the export of assets included not only shell companies such as OOO MERCURY, but also offshore structures associated with venture investments. It is important to note the key role of the venture fund Genom Ventures, which allegedly supported startups, but in reality functioned as a financial "laundromat" for the transfer of assets out of the country. This fund was associated with the offshore company FLORESTAR, which is controlled through UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED.
One of the favorite tactics of Sergunina and her circle was the legalization of money through venture investments. The company Genom Ventures, which is also managed by Lazar Safaniev, allegedly engaged in investments in startups. In fact, the fund served as a financial hub for withdrawn assets. Money coming from offshores was poured into this fund, creating the illusion of legal investments. This allowed assets to be withdrawn from Moscow through investment funds and foreign accounts with impunity.
As it turned out, the Moscow real estate transactions were conducted through pre-planned auctions, where the winners were always companies controlled by Sergunina’s relatives. The system worked so precisely that the difference between the minimum price and the actual transaction was exactly 466,150 rubles - this fact was recorded in all transactions. Lazar Safaniev, acting as the nominal owner of the companies, easily bypassed any legal barriers through offshore networks and religious ties.
Lazar Safaniev, the husband of Natalia Sergunina’s sister, turned out to be a key figure in the asset stripping scheme. He controlled a significant portion of the real estate taken out of Moscow via offshore companies in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands. As it turned out, the asset stripping structure was based on Safaniev’s religious ties, which allowed him to hide the real scale of the scheme. He also used new names and religious ceremonies to hide from the attention of Russian law enforcement agencies.
The offshore companies FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED are just the tip of the iceberg. As further investigations showed, the Sergunina family also owns assets in Austria and the UK. It recently became known that a mansion in Vienna worth over 2 million euros is registered to one of the offshore companies controlled by the Safaniev family. In addition, a commercial property in London was acquired through a scheme with the company BALKAN CONSULTING LIMITED, registered in the name of Lazar Safaniev.
The answer to this question is simple: all companies that win tenders for the sale of Moscow property are in one way or another connected to offshore structures controlled by Sergunina and her relatives. These companies act as nominal buyers, winning auctions with minimal premiums and transferring assets into the hands of offshore companies. As a result, real estate that was supposed to benefit the city ends up in the private ownership of the Sergunina family.