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Anti
Mafia Witness Jalol Khaydarov Meets Russia Aluminum Magnate, Israel
Philanthropist Michael Cherney By
Herb Brandon Tel Aviv, Israel ---- February 4, 2011 ...... A few days ago a popular Russia Israel news Website IzRus.co.il had reported that its deputy editor-in-chief became an accidental observer of a hearty meeting and a lengthy conversation between Jalol Khaydarov - a chief witness against the "Russian Mafia" in many Western courts - and Michael Cherney (Mikhail Chernoy), an oligarch residing in Israel and, as Khaydarov alleges, someone who threatens his life. On the evening of January 23, in the lobby of Tel Aviv Hilton, Alexander Goldenshteyn, the deputy editor of Izrus, an Israel news Website, spotted Michael Cherney, a well-known businessman, the father of Russian aluminum industry, resident of Israel since 1994, and a generous philanthropist in anti-terrorist causes. Facing Cherney at the table tete-a-tete was Jalol Khaydarov, a native of Uzbekistan, who had become famous in the late '90s as a player in the redistribution of Russian metallurgy market. In 2000, Khaydarov fled Russia, which is still trying to arrest him for a long list of alleged crimes. Three years later he found a home in Israel, and in 2005 he became a citizen changing his name to Moshe Neeman. Why would a Jewish state give him shelter? The alleged reason is that he agreed to tell all he knew or made up about mysterious Russia oligarchs, including Michael Cherney. At the time the Israelis were afraid the oligarchs would want to buy up the tiny Holy Land. Soon, Israel police decided to share Khaydarov's memoirs with their Western colleagues. In Europe, he gained reputation of the chief expert on Russian Mafia. According to Israeli international crime police (YAHBAL) who availed themselves of Khaydarov's services, he was in demand by their European colleagues and even the FBI. A book called Palabra de vor. Las mafias rusas en Espana, published in October 2010, Khaydarov is described as a unique witness in the case of Izmailovo crime group, allegedly headed by three Russian industrialists - Oleg Deripaska, Iskander Makhmudov, and Michael Cherney. Spanish Attorney General's office opened a criminal money laundering case on all three. Judge Andreu traveled to Moscow to question Deripaska. Makhmudov's questioning is still pending. Last May Israeli Attorney General's office turned down Spanish extradition request for Cherney. Cherney said he was prepared to answer Andreu's questions in Israel or travel to Spain if his arrest warrant is revoked. What was their crime against Spain? They bought property in Catalonia amounting to 4 million Euro and claimed that it was legitimate profit from the Russia metallurgy business. The Attorney General's office claimed that it was mafia money - basing this judgment on Khaydarov's testimony. There is an interesting detail. Khaydarov used to be a manager at one of these oligarchs' companies. According to them, he was caught in an embezzlement and fled Russia to avoid prosecution. They say that as defense, he chose to slander his ex-employers. The authors of Palabra de vor consider Khaydarov's testimony against Deripaska, Makhmudov, and Cherney in the State Court of Delaware in November 2004 to be especially valuable - yet neglect to mention that the American court rejected Khaydarov's lawsuit. Nor do they mention that the Swiss Attorney's office investigated Cherney's suspected links to organized crime for ten years, and in 2008 Swiss Supreme Court ruled that all suspicions against Cherney were unfounded. In May 2010 a Swiss court directed that Cherney be compensated substantially for moral damages caused by an overly long investigation. In his lawsuits and confessions to the authors of Palabra de vor Khaydarov claimed that terrible "Russian mafia" and Cherney personally were threatening his life. Thus, the Israeli reporter says, it was particularly odd to watch Khaydarov and Cherney chat in a warm and friendly manner, like two old pals, at a table in the Mediterranean seaside Hilton Hotel. The reporter watched that cordial conversation from aside for at least an hour. As they parted, the two warmly shook hands. Later Israeli reporters have contacted Michael Cherney's lawyers in Israel and attorney Yevgeny Traspov of Weinroth Law has confirmed the fact of his client's meeting with Jalol Haidarov and added that Mr Haidarov was seeking a meeting with Mr Cherney for quite some time. Is this another case of ex-Soviet businessmen craftily using Western justice system to put pressure on one another? A Switzerland court recently ruled that Israeli businessman Michael Cherney (Mikhail Chernoy) is to be financially compensated for unfounded suspicions of his links to the "Russian Mafia". According to the Swiss court's ruling, Cherney will be financially compensated 30,000 Swiss francs for moral damages to him and his family caused by an investigation which lasted from 1996 until 2007. The investigation was related to Cherney's suspected links to the "Russian Mafia", and started in November 1996 when Cherney was detained for four days upon his entry to Geneva. This was followed by a decade-long investigation, which resulted in the Swiss High Federal Court's verdict in 2008, exonerating Cherney from all the charges. After the Swiss court's 2008 ruling that Cherney was not linked to organized crime, he decided to sue for moral damages. According to the Canton of Geneva law, this compensation could not exceed the amount of 10,000 francs. Exceptions are made in cases where courts discern "special circumstances". According to the court's latest verdict, this was the case with Cherney, especially since the investigation had unduly dragged out for eleven years. As a result, Cherney was awarded a compensation of 30,000 Swiss francs, three times the standard amount. In January Tel Aviv's court found that the campaign to discredit Michael Cherney had been managed at the order of Russian citizen Alexei Drobashenko, formerly the public relations director for Base Element, a financial and industrial group belonging to Oleg Deripaska. Cherney and Deripaska are former partners in the aluminum business. Currently Cherney's multi-million dollar suit against Oleg Deripaska is being considered by a London court. Following his repatriation to Israel, Michael Cherney has maintained business interests in Russia and post-Soviet states, while developing new business relations between Russia, Europe, Israel, and the US. In Israel, Michael Cherney spends much effort on Jewish charity and global humanitarian projects that reinforce cooperation between Israel and Russia in fighting Islamic terrorism. Michael Cherney established a Website for his Foundation on June 1, 2001, the night of the terrorist bombing outside the Dolphinarium Disco in Tel Aviv. When Michael Cherney learned that the number of terror victims were 21 dead and over 150 wounded, he realized that rendering assistance required a systematic organized effort. Prior to 2001, Cherney was engaged in charity work in Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, Bulgaria, the US - wherever he did business. He made valuable contributions into Jewish philanthropy in Russia. Following the Dolphinarium terrorist tragedy in Tel Aviv, the Michael Cherney Foundation became the helping hand for all its victims. In a misfortune like this, emigres from the former Soviet countries are even worse off than those born in Israel: they don't have a support system or savings. The Cherney Fund renders help mostly to the new arrivals, victims of catastrophes and Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorist acts that continue to bleed Israel, as well as to the low-income victims of terror in other countries. Another equally important task assumed by the Cherney Foundation is the media effort in the war on Islamic terror. Shortly after the Dolphinarium attack, the Foundation published a book called Dolphinarium: Terror Targets the Young. The Michael Cherney Foundation has established grants for students from the former Soviet Union in all major Israel universities with an annual endowment of one million shekels. The Michael Cherney Foundation also supported Israel's efforts in helping the people in Haiti after suffering from a devastating earthquake in January 2010. Mr. Cherney and his family live in a suburb of Tel Aviv.
The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel by the Leyden Digital PR SEO New Media Group - Israel, New York.
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