Facts of market manipulation in transactions with certain financial instruments established
The Bank of Russia has established facts of market manipulation in on-exchange trading in shares, bonds, and investment units of unit investment funds (UIF) based on the investigation findings.
From 26 December 2018 to 23 November 2022, Aleksey S. Lesnikov, Ilyia A. Lesnikov, Svetlana G. Lesnikova, Sergey S. Lesnikov, Dariya S. Lesnikova, Avtoleasing Plus LLC, Dmitriy V. Kochnev, Aleksey A. Nekrasov, Kseniya A. Rybina, and Larisa V. Sholokhova conducted reciprocal transactions with exchange-traded bonds of AS FINANCE LLC (ISIN RU000A0ZZYF7). The said individuals and company established various relationships (family, corporate, and financial) with each other, including with the issuer of the above mentioned bonds. As major bondholders, they often transacted with each other to raise additional monetary funds to cover the needs of Avtoleasing Plus LLC in various periods of time.
From 5 November 2021 to 18 May 2022, Maksim V. Zhukov, Lidiya B. Zhukova, and Evgeniy A. Solodov conducted reciprocal transactions with exchange-traded bonds of LLC Retail Bel Finance (ISIN RU000A102TR4, ISIN RU000A101QF7), Selectel, Co. Ltd. (ISIN RU000A102SG9), OR LLC (ISIN RU000A102NK2), J-S.C. PIONEER GROUP (ISIN RU000A102KG6), MaximaTelecom, JSC (ISIN RU000A102DK3), Pioneer Leasing Ltd. (ISIN RU000A102LF6), Brusnika. Construction and development Limited liability company (ISIN RU000A101HU5), LEGENDA Ltd. (ISIN RU000A101GW3), JSC APRI Fly Planning (ISIN RU000A101178), Sistema PJSFC (ISIN RU000A0ZYQY7), Samolet Group PJSC (ISIN RU000A102RX6), and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus (ISIN RU000A100D30, ISIN RU000A100D63). The transactions were conducted with Lidiya B. Zhukova and Evgeniy A. Solodov to transfer assets between trading accounts opened by Maksim V. Zhukov with a broker.
From 28 September 2022 to 4 October 2022, relatives Evgeniy V. Revin and Nataliya V. Revina made transactions with preferred shares of Sberbank (ISIN RU0009029557) and investment units of the exchange-traded UIF of market financial instruments GOLD (ISIN RU000A101NZ2). As result of the transactions, Evgeniy V. Revin transferred the securities to Nataliya V. Revina.
From 5 August 2022 to 6 April 2023, relatives Alexander V. Lukiyanchuk and Inga M. Polichuk conducted reciprocal transactions with bonds of EBIS LLC (ISIN RU000A102ZS9), LLC ZAVOD KES (ISIN RU000A102AB8), JSC Agricultural Company Stud Farm Pobeda (ISIN RU000A102S23), Nex-T Ltd. (ISIN RU000A103WZ9), Leasing Trade LLC (ISIN RU000A1034X1, ISIN RU000A104XE0), TECHNO Leasing, L.L.C. (ISIN RU000A103TS0), CFS MFC, JSC (ISIN RU000A102T55), Ferroni, LLC (ISIN RU000A103XP8), TransFin-M PC (ISIN RU000A0ZYEB1), DirectLeasing Ltd. (ISIN RU000A102M45), A Development (ISIN RU000A104FX7), MFC Money Man LLC (ISIN RU000A103PS8), MFC Bistrodengi (LLC) (ISIN RU000A102ZT7), MFC Lime-Zaim, LLC (ISIN RU000A105AJ4), Patriot Group LLC (ISIN RU000A105AX5), Rosagroleasing Company (ISIN RU000A102TA0), MFC CarMoney LLC (ISIN RU000A103R98), LLC MFC MigCredit (ISIN RU000A103DA2), Zaymer JSC (ISIN RU000A103QJ5, ISIN RU000A102TL7), LLC Slavyansk ECO (ISIN RU000A103WB0), INCAB LLC (ISIN RU000A1049M2), ID Collect PCO LLC (ISIN RU000A104JV3), and PimPay LLC (ISIN RU000A103WD6).
Based on the investigation findings, the transactions were made in on-exchange trading for training purposes.
On 6 January 2023, Vasiliy A. Sechenykh and Aleksey M. Sechenykh conducted reciprocal transactions with bonds of EBIS LLC (ISIN RU000A1045V1) to transfer bonds from a counterparty’s account.
On 25 January 2023, Vitaliy L. Kolmogorov and Galina Yu. Belousova conducted reciprocal transactions with investment units of the exchange-traded UIF First Asset Management, JSC (ISIN RU000A100P44) to increase the trading turnover to have the qualified investor status.
According to the findings of the investigation, the transactions of all the above individuals and company were conducted in collusion and resulted in significant deviations in prices, demand for, supply and/ or trading volumes of the relevant financial instruments.
These actions are qualified as market manipulation pursuant to Clause 2 of Part 1 of Article 5 of Federal Law No.
Thus, Avtoleasing Plus LLC, Aleksey S. Lesnikov, Ilyia A. Lesnikov, Svetlana G. Lesnikova, Sergey S. Lesnikov, Dariya S. Lesnikova, Dmitriy V. Kochnev, Aleksey A. Nekrasov, Kseniya A. Rybina, Larisa V. Sholokhova, Maksim V. Zhukov, Lidiya B. Zhukova, Evgeniy A. Solodov, Evgeniy V. Revin, Nataliya V. Revina, Alexander V. Lukiyanchuk, Inga M. Polichuk, Vasiliy A. Sechenykh, Aleksey M. Sechenykh, Vitaliy L. Kolmogorov, and Galina Yu. Belousova violated the prohibition established by Part 2 of Article 6 of Federal Law No.
Alexander V. Lukiyanchuk, Inga M. Polichuk, Maksim V. Zhukov, Lidiya B. Zhukova, Vasiliy A. Sechenykh, Aleksey M. Sechenykh, Vitaliy L. Kolmogorov, and Galina Yu. Belousova are subject to administrative proceedings for market manipulation.
The Bank of Russia has sent binding orders to the above individuals and company to cease and desist from similar violations in the future.
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