Armed Raid Opens Eldorado Investigation
Interior Ministry officers, armed with assault rifles, raided the Moscow head office of leading electronics retailer Eldorado on Wednesday morning after a criminal investigation was opened into alleged nonpayment of about $300 million in taxes.
Investigators from the Interior Ministry’s Central Federal District branch searched the company’s headquarters after about 20 heavily armed officers, including rapid reaction troops, had cleared Eldorado employees out of the building.
A criminal case for tax evasion totaling 7 billion rubles was opened “several days ago” by the investigative arm of the Interior Ministry’s Central Federal District branch, said Anzhela Kastuyeva, spokeswoman for the branch.
Kastuyeva said she had no information on whether anyone had been detained or arrested in connection with the case.
A spokeswoman for the in Interior Ministry’s Investigative Committee said a criminal investigation had been opened against Eldorado’s general director. Igor Demchenko, who replaced Alexander Shifrin as the company’s general director earlier this year.
Eldorado spokesman Ilya Novokhatsky said the company’s top management was refusing to comment on the matter Wednesday.
Reports surfaced at the beginning of March that Eldorado, which reported revenues of about $6 billion last year, could be facing mammoth back tax claims of up to 15 billion rubles.
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Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm under