Vasily Aleksanyan

Vasily Aleksanyan ( _ru. Василий Алексанян; born 1972 [http://www.kariera.orc.ru/0809-01/Allst010.html] ru icon] ) is a Russian lawyer and businessman, former Executive Vice President of Yukos oil company. On 6 April 2006 he was arrested as a suspected accomplice to tax evasion and money laundering [http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=733994 Василий Алексанян заслушал следователя] Kommersant N1 (3557) 15 January 2007 ru icon] .

Lawyer and businessman

Vasily Aleksanyan graduated from the Moscow State University and the Law School of Harvard University as a Master of Laws. In 1992-1994 he worked for the USA law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. In 1995-1996 he was the head of the legal department for the British Investment firm SUN Group. Since 1996 he worked as the head of the legal department for Yukos.

On April 1 2006 amidst the legal troubles over Yukos company his position was elevated to Executive Vice President [http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=664057 Новый вице-президент ЮКОСа успел сказать орпоративное управление] Kommersant N60 (3391) 6 April 2006 ru icon] [http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=664463 Генпрокуратура сложила президентские полномочия] Kommersant N61 (3392) ru icon ] . His new position was accepted by the shareholders on April 04 2007 [http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=410002248 Biography of Vasily Aleksanyan] on Zoominfo site ] . His main stated goal in the new role was to streamline the corporate governance, achieving direct control over the assets of the company from the London Yukos headquarters bypassing the Moscow based offices of Yukos RM and Yukos EP. The decision was quite important for the struggling company as the Moscow based offices bluntly refused all the supervision from London obeying orders of the government-controlled Rosneft instead. According to Aleksanyan the lost control over the Moscow offices led to financial irregularities, including e.g. surfacing of counterfeit 10 billion ruble promissory note.

On 6 April 2006 Aleksanyan was taken into custody as a suspected accomplice to tax evasion and money laundering by Yukos. According to the prosecutors Aleksanyan is an accomplice to the theft of more than 12 billion rubles [http://lenta.ru/news/2006/04/06/alexsanyan/ Вице-президент "ЮКОСа" Василий Алексанян задержан] Lenta.Ru April 6 2006 ru icon] . The arrest was based on the testimonies of Svetlana Bakhmina, a subordinate of Aleksanyan arrested in 2004. According to Aleksanyan, Bakhmina's testimony were false and were taken from her under pressure.

Prison inmate

After his arrest Aleksanyan started a hunger strike, insisting that his arrest without court hearings was illegal. He aborted his strike on 27 April 2006 [http://www.rian.ru/society/20060502/47120067.html ФСИН подтверждает, что Василий Алексанян прекратил голодовку] RIA Novosti May 2 2006 ru icon ] .

During Aleksanyan's imprisonment his health rapidly deteriorated due to HIV-related illnesses. [ [http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL0748261720080207 Russia says will move AIDS prisoner to hospital] Reuters 7 February 2008] He became almost blind and developed cancer of the liver with metastasis into the lymph nodes. He also became ill with tuberculosis [http://lenta.ru/news/2007/12/27/grave/ Бывшего вице-президента "ЮКОСа" лишили необходимого лечения] Lenta.Ru 27 December 2007 ru icon ] .

Despite the grave medical situation demanding urgent antiretroviral treatment and chemotherapy in a hospital he was denied both. [ [http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2008/02/07/002.html Trial Stops But Judges Won't Free Aleksanyan] Moscow Times 7 February 2008] The prosecutors also ignored three injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights on 27 November 2007, on 6 December 2007 and on 20 December 2007. [http://www.polit.ru/news/2007/12/29/alex.html Смертельно больной менеджер ЮКОСа требует перевода из тюрьмы в больницу] Polit.ru 30 December 2007 ru icon] [http://www.svobodanews.ru/news/2007/12/27.html?id=428019 Василий Алексанян просит правозащитников о помощи] Radio Liberty 27 December 2007 ru icon] According to Aleksanyan, the prosecutors are demanding false evidence against other Yukos executives from him before starting his medical treatment. On 26 December Aleksanyan made public a statement asking for help from human rights advocates.

Eleven days into a hunger strike in his favour by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, [http://www.khodorkovskytrial.com/documents/StatementbyMikhailKhodorkovsky-Feb11.pdf Statement M. Khodorkovsky, Feb 11, 2008] ] Aleksanyan was transferred from a pre-trial prison to an oncological hospital on 8 February 2008. [Echo of Moscow, Бывший вице-президент "ЮКОСа" Алексанян переведен из СИЗО в специализированную клинику ("Former Yukos vice-president transferred from pre-trial prison to hospital"), 8.02.08 ru icon]

References

External links

* [http://www.pravda.info/politics/45189.html Statement by Vasily Aleksanyan] 26 December 2007
* [http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Dark_Side_4/From_Legal_Eagle_to_Dying_in_a_Cage.shtml From Legal Eagle to Dying in a Cage] By Alexander Osipovich The Moscow Times February 7, 2008. Page 1.