Andrey Kozlov

Andrei Andreyevich Kozlov ( _ru. Андрей Андреевич Козлов) (January 6, 1965 – September 14, 2006) was the first deputy chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation from 1997 to 1999 and again in 2002 to 2006. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5345236.stm Obituary: Andrei Kozlov] BBC News]

Kozlov was fluent in Russian, German, and English. He was married, and had three children. [http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=avG3CjZ1N7.A Russian Central Banker Kozlov Dies After Being Shot Last Night] Bloomberg.com] Kozlov died on September 14, 2006, in Hospital No. 33 in Moscow from gunshot wounds he sustained the night before. [http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060914/53862983.html Deputy Russian central bank chief Kozlov dies after shooting] RIA Novosti]

Career

Kozlov was born in Moscow and served in the Soviet Army from 1983 to 1985. He then attended the faculty of international economics at Moscow Institute of Finance, where he graduated in 1989. [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a063pW0N4fz4&refer=home Russian Central Banker Kozlov Dies After Being Shot] Bloomberg.com] He began working at the Soviet Union's central bank in the same year as a senior economist. He left the Bank of Russia in 1999 to work in the private sector, before returning to the Bank of Russia in April 2002.

Kozlov introduced a deposit insurance system and founded the Deposit Insurance Agency to restore public faith in the banking system after the Russian financial crisis of 1998. Kozlov prevented other banks from continuing operation by denying them access to the deposit insurance system. As head of bank supervision, Kozlov withdrew licences from banks suspected of money laundering and other crimes. In 2004, Kozlov took control of Sodbiznesbank, accusing the bank of engaging in laundering ransom money from hostage-taking. In 2006 he revoked the license of Neftyanoi Bank.

In 2005, "Kommersant" reported that Kozlov is "valued as a top-of-the-line professional. He is also given due credit as one of those who started the formation of the stock market in Russia." After his death, "Kommersant" credited Kozlov with combating "gray schemes," illegal importing practices that minimize customs duties and value-added tax payments.

On September 8, 2006, the Friday before his murder, Kozlov gave a speech at a banking conference in Sochi, saying, "Those who have been found out laundering criminal money should probably be barred from staying in the banking profession for life. Such people disgrace the banking system."

Death

According to Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for the Moscow prosecutor's office, two gunmen shot Kozlov in the head and neck at 8:50 PM, but other law enforcement officials claim Kozlov was shot at 8:30 PM. Inna Sergeyeva, deputy head doctor at the Hospital No. 33 in Moscow, said Kozlov later died of his injuries. Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov ordered Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, who is personally prosecuting the case, to provide regular reports on the investigation. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/world/europe/15russia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Russian Bank Reformer Dies After Shooting] The New York Times]

Kozlov was near the Spartak sports center with his driver, Alexander Semyonov, when they were shot. Semyonov died at the scene and Kozlov died after doctors unsuccessfully performed emergency surgery. The police later found weapons they suspect were used in the attacks: a "handmade pistol and a modified Baikal pistol... in tall grass near the Spartak sports center, 250-300 meters away from the site of the incident, during the investigation of the crime scene." [http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=11588384 Police find murder weapons in Kozlov case] Interfax]

Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, said, "The central bank revoked licenses of a number of banks, and it's quite possible that the gangsters linked to them might have put out a contract on him."

Tributes

Levan Zolotarev, a senior vice president at Russian Standard Bank, said, "Kozlov was a strong believer in reforming the financial markets of Russia. He pushed many radical changes that were important for the banking business." Zolotarev first met Kozlov when they studied at Moscow Financial Institute. Recently they worked together on amendments to a bankruptcy bill, which will be voted on in the Duma in late 2006, making subordinated loans equivalent to capital. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin described Kozlov as "a very courageous and honest personality, who has been on the frontline of the struggle against financial crimes," frequently damaging "the interests of dishonest financiers." Anatoly Chubais, Chairman of Unified Energy System, said Kozlov was "an undoubtedly honest, principled, and absolutely non-commercial man. He was one of the most professional people in the entire Russian banking sector," calling his assassination a "blatant challenge to the entire Russian government system. This is a case when the authorities must respond in a tough manner, promptly, and mercilessly." [http://www.interfax.com/3/193121/news.aspx Kozlov's murder a "blatant challenge" - Chubais] Interfax] Mikhail Grishankov, a senior member of the lower chamber of parliament, said the assassination was a spit in the face of the state. Punishing the killers is a "matter of honor... This is a terrible murder of a person who protected interests of the state and opposed schemes used by some banks to legalize revenues of shadow and criminal business. Criminal groups that control those banks will stop at nothing." The Central Bank issued a statement applauding Kozlov for making a "huge contribution to the reform of the country's banking system, making it more effective, transparent and stable." Oleg V. Vyugin, Russia’s chief securities regulator, in a telephone interview, said, "It was criminals taking revenge for the legal actions of the central bank, and unfortunately Mr. Kozlov paid the price."

Links

* [http://andrei-kozlov-news.newslib.com/ Articles from around the world focusing on Andrei Kozlov.]
* [http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2007/06/moscow_times_digs_deeper_on_di.htm Moscow Times Digs Deeper on Diskont, Raiffeisen, and the Kozlov Murder]
* [http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/2007-129-30.cfm A Pocket Bank and A Murder Mystery] By Simon Shuster and Nikolaus von Twickel

ee also

*Paul Klebnikov
*Vladislav Listyev
*Galina Starovoitova
*Valentin Tsvetkov
*Alexander Slesarev

References