Russian Deputy Alexey Chepa invest in Foreign Real Estate

On December 23, 2018, The Times has published the list of journalists working for Sputnik radio station based in Edinburgh. The newspaper calls them propagandists and Kremlin puppets. The article provides the names of eight radio station employees, their photos, and official positions, including the Editor-in-Chief of the Edinburgh Bureau, Editorial Director, Executive Producer, some journalists, and Head of the IT Department.

Russian officials have sharply criticized this disclosure of private information. According to Alexey Chepa, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the State Duma, “The British journalists wanted to demonstrate their loyalty to the authorities – but instead, they have discredited themselves in the public eye. Such actions have no excuse”.

Shortly before this, Meduza.io portal has drawn a parallel between the anti-Western rhetoric of the Deputy and his real estate acquisitions in the USA and UK.

USA

Back in 2013, blogger Andrei Malgin, a former journalist, has found a condo located at 10101 Collins Ave. Bal Harbour, FL 33154-1656 purchased by Chepa in March 2010 for $2.45 million. This property was neither disclosed in the election declaration filed by parliamentary candidate Chepa in 2010 nor in his Deputy’s declaration for the year of 2011.

In addition, it became known that the declaration for 2011 had no references to Cyprus-based Windale Holding Ltd. offshore company belonging 100% to the Deputy and his 50% share in Lindaco Commercial SA incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. In November 2011, in strict accordance with the legislation, Chepa has transferred these assets to trust management – but ‘forgot’ to disclose them in his declarations.

In 2012, the apartment 342.8 square metes in size – supposedly used by the Deputy on the free-of-charge basis – has been disclosed along with his other residences and land lots. Chepa explained to the press that he hadn’t declared it earlier because the property was mortgaged by BAC Florida Bank. Allegedly, he did not have the ownership documents because the loan was not repaid in full to the bank at that time.

In response, the blogger has presented an agreement signed by Chepa and stipulating that the bank may repossess the apartment only if its owner – i.e. the mortgagor – defaults on the mortgage and only under a court decision.

Chepa accurately remits the property tax amounting to dozens of thousands of dollars per year – therefore, it is logical to assume that he makes the mortgage payments as well. All documents refer to him as the property owner – Alexey Vasil Yevich Chepa.

In March 2013, Chepa sold the troublesome apartment on the 19th floor of prestigious The Palace Bal Harbour on the oceanfront to some Vera Afanasyeva at the original purchase price – $2.45 million – despite all the costs incurred by him, including property taxes and mortgage interest.

Chepa made this deal without even traveling to the USA – it was formalized at the American Embassy in Moscow. This vividly illustrates who indeed is knocking on the doors of foreign diplomatic missions.

Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper contacted the Deputy – and Chepa told it that he had tried to declare the apartment back in 2011 – during the elections to the Tver Legislative Assembly – but he had no ownership certificate on hand, only the mortgage agreement; therefore, the property was “removed from the declaration”. The member of Spavedlivaya Rossia (Just Russia) Party claims that the American apartment officially belongs to his relatives – but until the full mortgage payout, it, in fact, belongs to the bank. The parliamentarian explained that he has legitimately earned the money used to buy the apartment through hard work – for more than 20 years, Chepa had been running business and paid taxes. Furthermore, according to the Deputy, virtually any Russian citizen can afford an apartment in Miami.

Leaving alone the statement about the financial capacity of “any Russian citizen”, it is necessary to note that Chepa told the truth with regards to the new owner of the residence – according to Meduza.io sources, Vera Afanasyeva is his niece.

She is a successful business lady – based on official documents, Afanasyeva is the founder or director of many companies affiliated with the Deputy.

For instance, she was the Director of recently liquidated Interregional Association for Promotion of Investments and Construction (Mosinveststroy) Limited Liability Company, while Chepa was its 100% owner. Afanasyeva owns 5% of shares in Golden Mile managing Golden Mile Fitness Club on Ostozhenka street, while Chepa owns 70% of shares in it. StroyMediaResurs belongs 65% to Afanasyeva, 25% to Chepa, and 10% to Tolos International owned by the Deputy.

In addition, Afanasyeva was among the cofounders of Plazmonika (Plasmonics) Limited Liability Company and Laboratory of Optical and Electronic Devices (LOEP) located in Skolkovo Innovation Center.

These companies have won plenty of governmental contracts, mostly with the Ministry of Education and Science, totaling 358 million rubles ($5.2 million) and defaulted on loans taken on at Bank Razvitiya Tekhnologii (BRT) for the total amount of 135 million rubles ($2 million).

The CrimeRussia became aware that Chepa is the primary beneficiary of this bank established in 2003. Initially, the credit institution had belonged 100% to Prommashekspo-I founded by AvantIntreid and S.K. Akkord – both these companies belong 100% to Chepa. Later his portfolio has reduced to 49% – he owns 8.763% of shares directly and 40% via Prommashekspo-I Limited Liability Company. According to our sources, Chepa had also controlled 52.23% of the bank’s shares via a dummy person – Tatiana Soboleva. The rest of the shares belonged to bank top managers.

In addition, Deputy’s wife Irina Chepa was a member of the Board of Directors of Bank Razvitiya Tekhnologii. In May 2016, the Bank of Russia has revoked its license – the gap in the bank’s balance amounted to almost 1 billion rubles ($14.5 million).

Great Britain

Meduza.io portal cites a statement made by Chepa amid the inquest into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal: “The current English authorities just don’t know what else to do to bite Russia yet again”.

Still, similarly with the USA, Chepa has established a foothold in the UK. According to Meduza.io, he has a joint business there with famous Moscow restaurant keeper Arkady Novikov. In 2009, they have launched in London Novikov Restaurant 1,800 square meters in size.

For the first few years, Chepa was an official co-owner of the restaurant and owned 45% of shares in it. In 2013, after the enactment of the law prohibiting Deputies from keeping money abroad and owning/using foreign financial instruments (Deputies of the State Duma may own businesses but cannot participate in their management), his name disappeared from the list of shareholders.

However, in 2017, his 20-year-old son Daniil Chepa became a co-owner of Sеalthwave Ltd. managing the restaurant. According to the official documents, he is a British resident living at 807 – 20 Palace Street, London, England, SW1E 5BB. This high-rise building is located in central London within walking distance from Buckingham Palace. Unit prices in this condo start from £2.5 million.

In 2018, his share was transferred to Cypriot Costas Economou. According to Meduza.io sources, he is a confidant of Chepa – although the Deputy calls Economou ‘just an acquaintance’.

Anastasia, a daughter of Chepa, is also a successful business lady. A graduate of the London College of Art and Design, she owns, jointly with her Greek friend Kleoniki Mandalou, Aperse outerwear shop in London.

According to Meduza.io, Chepa purchased for her an apartment in London worth £1 million back in 2006.

The CrimeRussia source claims that this apartment is located in prestigious Kensington area, on Upper Phillimore Gardens. Elena Pinchuk, wife of former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, reportedly lives at 17 Upper Phillimore Gardens.

Unit prices in this quiet neighborhood located between Holland Park and Hyde Park start from £1 million for a small apartment with 1 bathroom. But such residences are pretty rare there – normally, apartments on Upper Phillimore Gardens feature 4–6 bathrooms and cost up to £35 million.

The Deputy told Meduza.io that he frequently visits his children in London. Chepa claims that the current deterioration in the relations between Russia and the West makes him nervous and, despite his official position as a Deputy of the State Duma, he would like “the things to normalize”.