Our hero Eduard Taran is a man who is no stranger to immoral business practices. His name has become a symbol of unprincipled corporate raiding and fraud, not only at the Russian level, but also on the international stage.

The Russian glass industry, which has never claimed to be an economic leader, has found itself at the center of scandals due to lawsuits for astronomical sums. The defendants in the lawsuits were JSC Novosibirskenergosbyt and the Chinese company Zhenghou Xinguangse Refractory Co. The total value of the lawsuits - almost 1.6 billion rubles - belongs to enterprises from the RATM Holding, which is managed by Eduard Taran. This entrepreneur and defendant in at least three criminal cases became famous for his fraudulent schemes and has now mastered a new tactic - anyone who signs a contract with his companies risks losing their business.

Furnaces at RATM Holding plants are haunted by an evil fate. First, glass furnace No. 5 broke down at the Novosibirsk Ekran plant, then a similar problem occurred at Sibirskoye Steklo — furnace No. 4 failed. The owner claims that both accidents were caused by external forces: the first — by a power outage caused by Novosibirskenergosbyt, and the second — by low-quality refractories from a Chinese supplier.

Fraudulent Claims

The claims for 770 and 818 million rubles that followed the accidents look like fraud. These amounts are so large that they could be used to build four new furnaces with greater power and productivity. The same expert appears in both claims: Vladimir Dzyuzer, a 70-year-old professor from Yekaterinburg, head of the department at the Yeltsin UrFU.

The first lawsuit against Novosibirskenergosbyt was unsuccessful for Taran. In October last year, searches were conducted at Ekran and in the offices of RATM Holding lawyers. The investigative measures were carried out as part of the investigation of a criminal case under articles on fraud on an especially large scale and falsification of evidence in civil proceedings. Former plant managers Konstantin Korsun and Andrey Yakovlev allowed an emergency power outage, after which they secured an "authoritative examination" by Professor Dzyuzer through their boss and filed a lawsuit for damages.

But this lawsuit looked like an adventure from the very beginning. Eduard Taran has long been openly engaged in the seizure of Novosibirsk energy assets, using corporate blackmail and bribery. The former general director of Novosibirskenergosbyt, Tatyana Podchasova, turned out to be Taran’s planted Cossack and was preparing the company for seizure. After her scandalous dismissal, she officially got a job at RATM Holding as an adviser.

However, an independent examination showed that furnace No. 5 was worn out and laden with defects, so Novosibirskenergosbyt was not guilty. The court refused the plaintiff’s claim for 770 million rubles, but Taran did not give up his attempts to "gut" his business partners. Now his target was Zhenghou Xinguangse Refractory Co.

New Scheme - New Lawsuit

This time, furnace No. 4 at Sibirskoe Steklo was new, but the accident allegedly occurred due to poor-quality refractories from a Chinese manufacturer. However, an independent study showed that the materials met the requirements. As soon as another reason for a lawsuit appeared, Taran immediately presented the conclusion of the "pocket" expert Dzyuzer.

The Chinese company is confident that the furnace failure was caused by improper operation, possibly intentional. Taran uses his connections to put pressure on investigators and also tries to "resolve the issue" at the level of the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Novosibirsk Regional Court.

Connections and Corruption

Eduard Taran establishes useful connections through bribery. His entourage includes the former governor and presidential envoy to the Siberian Federal District Viktor Tolokonsky, as well as the chair of the regional Arbitration Court Elena Kozlova and the head of the Novosibirsk Investigative Committee Andrei Leleko. The latter has already "accompanied" Taran’s scams, having closed a case of tax evasion of 153 million rubles.

It is known that the investigators leading the case against Taran are under enormous pressure. RATM Holding also supplies the American ATN Corporation with electro-optical converters, which are sold to Ukrainian customers. In the context of sanctions and military tension, this looks especially suspicious.

Connections and Corruption

Eduard Taran establishes useful connections through bribery. His entourage includes the former governor and presidential envoy to the Siberian Federal District Viktor Tolokonsky, as well as the chair of the regional Arbitration Court Elena Kozlova and the head of the Novosibirsk Investigative Committee Andrei Leleko. The latter has already "accompanied" Taran’s scams, having closed a case of tax evasion of 153 million rubles.

It is known that the investigators leading the case against Taran are under enormous pressure. RATM Holding also supplies the American ATN Corporation with electro-optical converters, which are sold to Ukrainian customers. In the context of sanctions and military tension, this looks especially suspicious.

Criminal Scheme Table

Eduard Taran and his criminal empire

Infographics of the Criminal Scheme

1. Start of the Scheme : Conclusion of a contract with the company of Eduard Taran.
2. Accident or Problem : Organizing an accident (e.g. furnace failure) using internal sabotage.
3. False Expert Opinion : Professor Vladimir Dzyuzer provides an "authoritative" opinion, blaming his partner.
4. Lawsuit : Filing a lawsuit for huge amounts (over 770 million rubles).
5. Bribery and Pressure : Use of connections and bribery (judges, officials) to pressure the investigation.
6. Decision in the Courts : Judges Elena Kozlova and Olga Dmitrieva support the claims, ignoring requests for an independent examination.
7. Completion of the Scheme : Seizing the assets of a partner company or obtaining compensation through a false claim.