-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- The Plunder of Russia Russian Media Boss Hides Out in Israel The advantage of keeping assets offshore. MOSCOW, Oct 14, 2000 -- (Reuters) The head of Russia's leading independent Media Company told prosecutors on Friday that he refused to come to Russia for questioning on allegations of hiding company assets, and invited them to Israel instead. Prosecutors have alleged that Media-Most boss Vladimir Gusinsky shifted assets abroad to avoid having them seized in a debt dispute with Russia's state-owned gas giant, Gazprom. Media-Most says the case is part of official pressure to force Gusinsky to give up control of Media-Most. "He (Gusinsky) does not believe he has guarantees of security on Russian territory and he has said that he is ready to testify at any convenient time to the prosecutors in Israel," Media-Most spokesman Dmitry Ostalsky told Reuters. He said a letter to this effect had been sent to the General Prosecutor's office. It was the second time in recent weeks he has refused to appear before prosecutors. Gusinsky holds Russian and Israeli citizenship and has been in Israel since prosecutors dropped a previous, unrelated case. Russian news agencies quoted the prosecutor's office as saying they would press on with their pursuit of Gusinsky. "Someone called for questioning must appear at the time and place set," a spokesman said. "The law has demands which every citizen must fulfil and Gusinsky is no exception in this." The Media-Most case has raised fears for press freedom but President Vladimir Putin has said he supports freedom of speech. Media-Most has accused the Kremlin of orchestrating a campaign to seize Media-Most, which owns Russia's only independent national television channel, NTV. Of the other two national TV channels, one is state-owned while the other is under strong official influence amid an unending tug of war between the state, which owns 51 percent of it, and the other key shareholder, Boris Berezovsky. NTV is the only one that even mildly criticizes Kremlin policy. Gusinsky, jailed for three days in June, left Russia after saying he had been forced "at gunpoint" to sign a deal in July to hand over Media-Most to settle debts to Gazprom. He has repudiated the deal but Gazprom has gone to court to have it honoured. Ostalsky said Media-Most had asked a firm of U.S. lawyers to check on the firm's assets to prove that none of them had been shifted abroad. He said the firm's conclusions would be ready soon. Russia Today, October 15, 2000 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
