Tamaz Somkhishvili - biography, connection with the criminal world, the status of an organized crime figure, Lukoil and Kyiv terminal
Tamaz Somkhishvili. Biography
Russian and Georgian businessman, one of the most influential personalities in the criminal community of the Russian Federation. In certain circles, he uses his nickname Tamaz Tobolsky. In Ukraine, he is known as the organizer of a scheme that has all signs of a fraud with the intention to seize “compensation” from the budget of Kyiv in the amount of $100 million for the termination of the investment agreement on the reconstruction of the Kharkivska Square, where Somkhishvili’s company did not even begin the construction works.
The beginning of the criminal path
Tamaz Somkhishvili began his criminal activities in Georgia, and became known in criminal circles as "Tamaz Tobolsky", the leader of the West Siberian organized criminal group.
Somkhishvili was considered to be within the circle of the Russian authoritative criminal Ded Khasan (aka Aslan Usoyan), and after his death, his heir Shakro Molodoy (aka Zakhary Kalashov). Somkhishvili is Shakro's representative in Ukraine and Georgia.
In the early 90s of the last century, Tamaz moved from Tobolsk to Kogalym and became the "right hand" of another criminal Bogomol (aka Gennady Bogomolov). Somkhishvili controlled the oil company Kogalymneftegaz, which later changed its name to Lukoil.
Career
Tamaz Somkhishvili is a school teacher by profession. His first job was the general director of Lukoil, then the head of Lukoil Markets and Rosnefteexport. Together with the oligarchs and shareholders of Lukoil Vagit Alekperov and Leonid Fedun, Somkhishvili is considered the founder of an elite tennis club.
Detention of the boss
In 2005, the Spanish special services organized a special operation in which Shakro Molodoy was detained. For money laundering, he was sent to prison for 7.5 years. While the boss was behind bars, Tamaz Tobolsky ran his criminal business.
In Georgia
The accumulated money allowed Tamaz Somkhishvili to become one of the richest people in Georgia. According to various estimates, his fortune is estimated at least $ 335 million. In his homeland, Tamaz owns the TS Holding business group. It includes more than a dozen local companies. In Georgia, Somkhishvili became famous for owning one of the most luxurious mansions in Tbilisi, with an area of 8 thousand square meters. The media assumed that Shakro Molodoy owned the building, but it turned out that his assistant Tamaz Somkhishvili built it for himself.
In Ukraine
In our country, Somkhishvili is involved in a scheme withing which he is trying to seize $ 98.5 million from the budget of Kyiv as "compensation for losses." His company Kyiv Terminal LLC won the competition for the reconstruction of Kharkivska Square. But they haven’t started any construction works. In 2013, the investment agreement was terminated. Somkhishvili's company filed a lawsuit against the Kyiv City State Administration demanding compensation for losses in the amount of UAH 671 million. Surprisingly, the Economic Court of Kyiv satisfied the motion. The Kyiv City State Administration won the appeal, but the infamous judge Hryhoriy Machulsky returned the case for appeal. Somkhishvili sent letters to the President and the Cabinet of Ministers with a proposal to "compensate for the losses" of his company. Interestingly, Somkhishvili presented himself as a "British investor".
Viktor Gleba, former deputy chief architect of the capital of Ukraine, calls it a scam by Chernovetsky and Georgian criminals. Evidence that Tamaz Somkhishvili's company suffered losses was never provided, and it does not even have a developed reconstruction project.
Hobby
Enjoys shooting. In 2017, he was elected President of the Georgian Shooting Federation.
Official biography of Tamaz Somkhishvili
Born in Georgia in 1957. He studied at the Tobolsk Pedagogical Institute, Tyumen State University, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
He worked as General Director of Lukoil (1992-1993), Commercial Director of Lukoil Markets (1993-1999), General Director of Rosneftexport (1995-2008), is the founder of Danao Engineering (2001-2005), a shareholder of OAO Tomskaya Neft (2004-2005), Member of the Board of the Agricultural Investment Company Agroco (2002-2008).