Novatek’s deputy chairman of the board, Mark Gitway, who was accused by the US authorities of tax evasion by hiding assets, has been released on bail of $ 80 million, TASS reports, citing data from the US District Court for the Mid District of Florida.
As the agency clarifies, the US Department of Justice requested a measure of restraint in the form of a bail of $ 80 million. The materials of the court emphasize that this request was approved. The next court hearing is scheduled for September 30. Jitway pleaded not guilty, through his lawyer, he declared innocence on 15 counts. It also indicates that the prosecution does not insist on his detention.
Earlier, the Russian Embassy in Washington contacted the US State Department to find out the whereabouts of Gitway. The top manager of Novatek has not yet applied for consular assistance, they noted there.
On September 23, the US Department of Justice announced the detention of Jeetway. He was accused of hiding assets in order to evade taxes. According to the US Department of Justice, from 2005 to 2016, Jitway hid his assets through offshores in order to avoid taxes. We are talking about assets worth $ 93 million. “After working as a chartered accountant in the United States and Russia, Jitway became CFO of a large Russian gas company. As part of his compensation package, Jeetway received lucrative stock options. Since 2005, Jeetway has had a Swiss bank account to store these assets, the total value of which at its peak exceeded $ 93 million, ”the ministry said.
The press service of Novatek later stated that the company had nothing to do with this criminal process and did not have the details of the proceedings. Novatek is monitoring the development of the situation and will provide all the necessary support, ”they noted.
Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia cannot interfere in the American criminal process in this case, but is ready to provide diplomatic assistance to Jitway as a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Gitway arrived in Russia in 1995, according to the company’s website. From 2003 to 2014, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Novatek and the Investment and Strategy Committee, as well as the Chief Financial Officer of the company. In 2007, Jitway became a member of the board of Novatek, since 2010 – deputy chairman of the board. In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Jitway Russian citizenship.
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