Avanesov Agajan Sergeyevich

Avanesov Agajan Sergeyevich

Biography

2025

Prison term for embezzlement of 5.1 billion rubles

On June 20, 2025, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow issued a verdict against the former leaders of StarBank and their accomplices. The defendants received prison sentences for stealing 5.1 billion rubles from a credit institution.

According to the state corporation Deposit Insurance Agency, the case file includes the chairman of the board of directors of StarBank Agadzhan Avanesov, the chairman of the bank's board Lyudmila Kontorshchikova, her deputy Dmitry Seleznev, as well as their accomplices Dmitry Shervashidze and Dmitry Shevandin.

According to the investigation, the organizer of criminal schemes for the theft of funds is Avanesov. The essence of the fraud boiled down to the bank lending to fictitious and controlled firms. Money under the guise of paying for the supply of goods or equipment was withdrawn abroad to the accounts of companies affiliated with Avanesov.

In March 2016, the Bank of Russia revoked the banking license from StarBank due to the fact that this credit institution was involved in "conducting dubious operations to withdraw funds abroad, as well as dubious transit operations." In addition, it is alleged that StarBank pursued a high-risk credit policy and did not create adequate loan loss provisions for accepted risks.

The Kommersant newspaper reports that the state prosecutor requested nine years in prison for Avanesov. Taking into account the eight years assigned to him by the Nagatinsky court of Moscow for fraud and extortion, the prosecutor asked to sentence the defendant to a total of 14 years in a maximum security colony. For other defendants, terms from five to eight and a half years of the colony were requested.

The court sentenced the defendants to imprisonment for terms from 5 to 10 years and fines from 400 thousand to 700 thousand rubles. The civil claim declared by the DIA in the interests of the bank in the amount of more than 5.1 billion rubles was satisfied in full.^[1]

Recovery by the court of 15 billion rubles

On July 18, 2025, the City Arbitration Court Moscow brought to subsidiary liability former top managers - Starbank Chairman of the Board of Directors Agadzhan Avanesov, Chairman of the Board Lyudmila Kontorshchikova and her deputy Dmitry Seleznev. They face a penalty of almost 15 billion. rubles

The proceedings were initiated at the request of the state corporation Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). In June 2025, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow found these persons, as well as their accomplices Dmitry Shervashidze and Dmitry Shevandin guilty of embezzlement of bank funds in the amount of over 5.1 billion rubles. According to the case file, the defendants carried out various fraudulent schemes to withdraw liquid assets from the bank, including the issuance of technical loans. Money under the guise of paying for certain goods or equipment was withdrawn abroad to the accounts of companies affiliated with Avanesov.

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Фото: Unsplash

In March 2016, Starbank's banking license was revoked due to the credit institution's failure to comply with federal laws regulating banking activities, as well as Bank of Russia regulations. The decision of the Central Bank, in particular, said that Starbank did not comply with the requirements of the regulations of the supervisory authority on the introduction of bans on the implementation of certain operations that could contradict the interests of the bank's depositors.

According to the Kommersant newspaper, part of the money stolen from Starbank in 2020 was discovered by law enforcement officers of Belarus as part of an investigation into the case of Belgazprombank and its former head Viktor Babariko. According to Belarusian law enforcement agencies, large sums of money were transported through Belgazprombank to offshore, and one of the organizers of these schemes was Avanesov.^[2]

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