Deripaska hired an ex-FBI agent to investigate Potanin

Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska could hire former FBI agent Charles McGonigal and former Russian diplomat Sergei Shestakov, who were recently arrested in the United States on suspicion of violating the sanctions regime, to conduct an investigation against another Russian businessman. This is stated in the materials of the investigation. According to Forbes citing a source familiar with the investigation, this businessman is Vladimir Potanin, co-owner of Nornikel.

As Forbes writes, Deripaska tried to “challenge the control” of the businessman, who was not mentioned by name in the published materials of the investigation of “a large Russian enterprise”. The publication claims that we are talking about Potanin, and the investigation, which Deripaska allegedly wanted to initiate, was supposed to focus on studying his assets abroad and finding out whether he has another citizenship, in addition to the Russian one.

“Deripaska was collecting materials for filing a lawsuit in London with the goal of forcing Norilsk Nickel to conclude a new shareholder agreement,” – says a Forbes source. A representative for Deripaska did not respond to a request for comment.

As stated in the indictment, McGonigal and Shestakov began looking for compromising information on a “competing oligarch” in 2021. According to reports, a company hired by them discovered “hidden assets worth more than $500 million” and “other information that, according to McGonigal, will be valuable to Deripaska”, however, in November 2021, FBI special agents seized the electronic devices of two suspects , and the investigation, apparently, was interrupted. There are no details about the information that the agents allegedly managed to find.

Forbes tells the story of the relationship between Deripaska and Potanin and their struggle for control over Nornickel. The last episode of this struggle, as it is said, was the lawsuit filed in October last year by “Rusal”, controlled by Deripaska’s structures, against Potanin in the London court due to his alleged failure to fulfill his duties as managing partner and general director of “Nornikel”. Potanin owns 37% of Nornickel through his investment holding company Interros, and Deripaska owns 45% of En+ shares, which, in turn, owns 26% of Nornickel, Forbes notes.

• Both businessmen are under US sanctions, and against Deripaska they were introduced even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Potanin was put on the sanctions list only in December of last year.
• Washington imposed sanctions against Deripaska in 2018. It was stated that the businessman represents the interests of the Russian authorities around the world, including that he owns the assets and launders the money of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. In addition, he was suspected of meddling in the American elections. In September 2022, the US Ministry of Justice accused Deripaska of violating the sanctions regime, which is a criminal offense. Deripaska denies all charges.