Pathos hideout: fugitive founder of Life is Good pyramid scheme found in Cyprus
Not far from Paphos in Cyprus, blogger Andrei Alistarov has discovered two villas where billionaire Roman Vasilenko, founder of the Life is Good holding company recognized as a financial pyramid scheme, is hiding. In Russia, he is on a federal wanted list under 13 criminal articles. Whether the discovery of his residence can lead to the detention of the billionaire and how it will affect the investors - in the material "Izvestia".
Where Vasilenko was found
That Roman Vasilenko is hiding in Cyprus, it was reported earlier, but until now it was not known where exactly. Andrei Alistarov received information that the billionaire was spotted in Paphos, from a subscriber. As a result, Roman Vasilenko's dwelling was discovered not far from the Cypriot city.
It turned out that the founder of the financial pyramid occupies with his wife, also on the federal wanted list, two neighboring villas on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea near the so-called "Zatoka badger" (it is marked on Google Maps). The place is picturesque, but after its disclosure in reviews to the attraction are most often found messages like this: "The best place to observe greed. Literally standing with your back to the sea, you can enjoy the whole bouquet of luxury made up of hundreds of thousands of cheated people".
According to Andrei Alistarov's calculations, two three-story villas of Roman Vasilenko cost about €10 million. Each of them has its own swimming pool, the floors are connected by elevator, they stand on the first line on the seashore. The blogger also found two cars: a Bentley Morgan Plus Six, which regularly appeared in Vasilenko's advertising and motivational videos, and a BMW X7. Their value is estimated at €130 thousand.
The two villas are united, with a free passageway between them. Alistarov noticed Roman Vasilenko and his wife at the villa itself during drone surveillance. The billionaire is constantly accompanied by a security guard.
Vasilenko's wife's showroom was also found, which is located on the other outskirts of Paphos, not in a tourist spot. Andrei Alistarov suggested in a conversation with Izvestia that this store was created to legalize funds to prove to local authorities where the money for large purchases comes from.
Vasilenko's whereabouts were revealed thanks to his active online life - he regularly posts videos on his YouTube channel, which, however, are not popular: the last of them are viewed by literally 1-3 thousand people. In his videos he talks about how to achieve success, about harmonious life, about "wealth as art" and does it, for example, against the background of the pool of his villa and sculptures installed on the shore of the "Zatoka Badger". It was the details of the landscape surrounding Vasilenko that gave him away.
Roman Vasilenko
Already after the publication of the investigation, Andrey Alistarov stated in his Telegram that Roman Vasilenko also has a third villa in Cyprus, which is next to the already disclosed, as well as an investment project in Limassol, which is called Blumarine. At the same time, according to his data, the billionaire has a travel ban from the country due to a request for his extradition. Alistarov claims that Roman Vasilenko has either already had his Cypriot passport taken away or will have it taken away soon. After that, he will try to apply for political asylum as a Russian citizen, the blogger writes, citing a person close to Vasilenko's lawyers.
Sergey Sannikov
The topic became especially hot after it became known about the detention in Dubai of one of Roman Vasilenko's associates - the "director of the 10th level" of the Life is Good pyramid scheme, Sergei Sannikov. According to Alistarov, he is allegedly imprisoned in the UAE and is awaiting extradition to the Russian Federation. The information has not been officially confirmed yet.
How Vasilenko deceived people
Roman Vasilenko founded Life is Good holding company in 2014, which includes consumer cooperative Best Way and Hermes Management ltd. His shareholders were promised apartments, mortgages at 0% or huge profits - up to 25% per annum.
Deposits were not invested, it was assumed that the promised payments would be made by attracting money from new clients. However, in practice everything turned out to be not so rosy: the apartments were not received, the money disappeared. One of the shareholders, Galina, told Izvestia that she was promised an apartment six months after joining the cooperative. When applying for an apartment, they asked only for her passport. She made a 35% down payment, paid 10 thousand rubles in share fees and 2 thousand rubles monthly membership fees.
At the same time, a simple check of the company showed: it is registered in Belize, and the Central Bank license it does not have. Moreover, in November 2021, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation included the Interregional Consumer Cooperative to improve the quality of life Best Way (Life is Good) in the black list as a company with signs of a pyramid scheme. Unfortunately, this did not stop many people: a petition in support of Best Way was signed by more than 12,000 people, demanding that the company be removed from the blacklist.
And the money continued to be actively carried to the cooperative. In March 2022, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs stopped the pyramid scheme, the damage from Life is Good reached 15 billion rubles, and the number of victims - more than 18 thousand people. This is significantly more than the damage from the Finiko pyramid. Roman Vasilenko managed to escape, having previously gotten rich.
How will Vasilenko's discovery affect the situation?
Vladimir Slaschev, senior partner of the Koblev & Partners law firm, attorney Vladimir Slaschev notes that a private investigation may become a reason to initiate legal procedures against Vasilenko, but the easiest way to do it is through Interpol. However, Russian political technologist and international researcher Ilya Margolin told Izvestia that the billionaire is not on an international wanted list.
- This is a key point. In the absence of an Interpol warrant, the local authorities in Cyprus have no legal grounds to detain him, " he said. - International cooperation works only when there are clear, documented grounds. If there are no such grounds, Vasilenko can continue to live in the villa without fear of interference from local authorities. However, it is important to remember that Cyprus is an EU country, and if Russia sends an official request with evidence, the situation may change.
Anton Paliulin, a lecturer at Synergy University and owner of the Paliulin and Partners law firm, notes that under Article 460 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code and the European Convention on Extradition of December 13, 1957, he can be extradited if there is an extradition request from the Russian Federation for criminal prosecution.
Ilya Margolin continues: "Judging by the information we have, Sergei Sannikov was detained in Dubai on the basis of an international warrant.
- The situation with his arrest demonstrates that in today's world it is becoming increasingly difficult to hide from the law," the expert explained. - This is an important signal for all those who believe that international borders can be a hiding place.
According to Ilya Margolin, disclosure of Roman Vasilenko's whereabouts increases pressure on the defendant and limits his ability to move freely. In addition, he will face a number of restrictions if an official extradition request is sent.
-In such cases, a "game of nerves" often begins: publicity, pressure from the media and victims of the pyramid scheme can become tools to speed up his extradition," the expert added.
Vladimir Slaschev believes that Vasilenko's Cypriot citizenship may hinder his extradition to Russia. In addition, after the start of the SWO, "some countries blatantly ignore requests for legal assistance from Russia or refuse extradition altogether, and this may complicate the situation," the lawyer added.
Andrei Grivtsov, a lawyer and senior partner at ZKS Law Office, notes that one cannot completely rule out the possibility of extradition of a fugitive criminal.
- Some countries (mainly Great Britain, Western European countries and the United States) statistically almost always refuse to extradite wanted persons to Russia, while some countries grant the Russian Federation's requests a little more willingly. Cyprus is statistically closer to Western Europe in this respect, but in any case, I would say that it is not the safest country for Vasilenko," he told Izvestia.
In this sense, relations with the UAE are better and the chances of Sannikov's extradition are higher, although they are not 100 percent.
- All countries, when considering the issue of extradition, take into account the state of the judicial and law enforcement system, guarantees of human rights in the country that initiated the extradition, the possibility of prosecution for political reasons," the lawyer added.
Will it help to return the money to the shareholders?
Lawyer Yaroslav Khevrolin notes that in case of Vasilenko's extradition to Russia and the subsequent court verdict, the victims will be able to collect the damage caused to them as a result of the crime in a simplified procedure.
-However, the real enforceability of this decision on damages will depend on the availability of the convicts' property in Russia, " he told Izvestia. - Judging by the fact that he resides in Cyprus, at least part of their property they have withdrawn abroad. This will create difficulties for victims and bailiffs in identifying assets and foreclosing on them.
Andrei Grivtsov emphasizes that the shareholders must be recognized as victims - only then they will be entitled to compensation for damages. Their civil claims will be resolved simultaneously with the final judgment in the case.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
