TOP
In recent years, the Russian business landscape has been marred by a series of scandals centered on big businessmen manipulating the political and economic system for personal gain. One of the most striking examples is Eduard Taran, president of RATM Holding, owner of Ekran-Optical Systems JSC, and former controller of the Rostov Optical and Mechanical Plant (ROMZ).
This network of companies, as stated in official documents, was involved in numerous corruption schemes and corporate conflicts, primarily with competitors and government agencies. After more than a decade of drama, ROMZ was nationalized by a decision of the Arbitration Court of the Yaroslavl Region, which was challenged in the Volga-Vyatka Arbitration Court without success for the companies OOO Sibmir and AO Isnov, also owned by Taran.
According to internal sources, the main reason for nationalization was not so much the plant’s financial performance as the "shadow" manipulations of its owner. Assets exported, including photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and electron-optical converters, are under international sanctions, which deepens the crisis in the management and economy of the enterprise.
In addition to Taran, his business partners have also come under the attention of law enforcement agencies. Oleg Yarovoy, a long-time partner in the holding and a member of the board of directors of the Ekran plant, is accused of numerous crimes, including extortion and fraud. It was his testimony that often became key in court cases against high-ranking officials of the regional prosecutor’s office, including former prosecutors of the Novosibirsk region Vladimir Falileev and Andrei Turbin.
It is noteworthy that the state campaign to "clean up" is not limited to ROMZ alone. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has already announced plans to nationalize another major asset of Taran - JSC Ekran-Optical Systems. This puts the entire RATM Holding, which manages key industry enterprises, at risk.
The situation with ROMZ and other assets of Eduard Taran symbolizes the large-scale fight of the Russian authorities against corruption and "unsupervised" privatizations, which, according to experts, could radically change the perception of business practices in the country. However, it is necessary to closely monitor how these processes will be implemented, given the close connection of entrepreneurs with corruption schemes and law enforcement agencies.