"Banque du Gothard" is the French form of the Italian "Banca del Gottardo."
This is one of the banks used to funnel kickbacks to Pavel Borodin in the Kremlin-Mebatex scandal. Pavel Borodin was arrested en route to the Bush innaugural, jailed in New York City, extradited to Switzerland, and bailed by Putin for $3 million. It has been suggested that Banca del Gottardo handled certain dealings Republic wished to avoid.
DATE=3/23/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-247030
TITLE=RUSSIA / CORRUPTION (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: RUSSIAN PROSECUTORS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING KREMLIN OFFICES FOR EVIDENCE IN A CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION. V-O-A'S EVE CONANT REPORTS FROM MOSCOW ON THE LATEST ROUND OF A HIGH-PROFILE BATTLE BETWEEN PRESIDENT YELTSIN'S OFFICE AND THE COUNTRY'S CHIEF PROSECUTOR.
TEXT: A SPOKESMAN FOR RUSSIA'S PROSECUTOR GENERAL CONFIRMED (TUESDAY) THAT DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM PRESIDENT YELTSIN'S OFFICE. THE SEARCH IS PART OF AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE OPERATIONS OF A SWISS COMPANY, MABETEX, WHICH HAS WON LUCRATIVE CONTRACTS FROM THE KREMLIN TO RENOVATE OFFICIAL BUILDINGS IN RUSSIA.
LAST WEEK, THE BATTLE BETWEEN PROSECUTOR GENERAL YURI SKURATOV AND THE KREMLIN BROKE INTO THE OPEN WHEN RUSSIA'S UPPER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT REFUSED TO ACCEPT MR. SKURATOV'S RESIGNATION. MR. SKURATOV SAID HE OFFERED TO QUIT AFTER PEOPLE HE WAS INVESTIGATING TRIED TO BLACKMAIL HIM. MR. SKURATOV HAS NOW RESUMED HIS INVESTIGATION, AND VOWS TO ROOT OUT HIGH-LEVEL CORRUPTION DESPITE A POLITICAL AND SEXUAL SCANDAL SURROUNDING HIM.
REPORTS SAY HIS INVESTIGATION IS NOT LIKELY TO TOUCH PRESIDENT YELTSIN DIRECTLY. BUT MR. YELTSIN'S FAMILY, AND OFFICIALS CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT, COULD BE QUESTIONED ABOUT THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE SWISS CONTRACTING FIRM.
MABETEX PROJECTS INCLUDE A KREMLIN RENOVATION COSTING NEARLY 170-MILLION DOLLARS. PAVEL BORODIN, ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD OF THE KREMLIN'S EMPIRE OF COUNTRY RESIDENCES, AIRCRAFT AND HOTELS, SAYS THERE IS NO WRONG-DOING (IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESIDENT YELTSIN AND MABETEX).
/// BORODIN ACT IN RUSSIAN, ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER ///
LET THEM CHECK, SAYS MR. BORODIN, "WE ARE ALWAYS CHECKED BY THE FINANCE AND TAX MINISTRIES." BUT HE ASKS WHY INVESTIGATORS SUDDENLY GAVE THIS INFORMATION TO THE MEDIA.
A MABETEX REPRESENTATIVE FLEW TO MOSCOW (TUESDAY) TO ISSUE A STRONG DENIAL OF ANY IMPROPER ACTIVITY, INCLUDING CLAIMS THAT THE SWISS COMPANY BUILT A COUNTRY RESIDENCE FOR PRESIDENT YELTSIN'S DAUGHTER AND PURCHASED TWO YACHTS FOR MR. YELTSIN (IN AN EFFORT TO CURRY FAVOR FOR FUTURE PROJECTS). MABETEX IS THREATENING TO SUE RUSSIA'S CHIEF PROSECUTOR IF HE PURSUES THE CASE.
/// REST OPT ///
THE MABETEX DENIAL COINCIDED WITH A VISIT TO MOSCOW OF SWISS ATTORNEY GENERAL CARLA DEL PONTE. SHE IS DISCUSSING THE MABETEX CASE WITH PROSECUTOR GENERAL SKURATOV.
(SIGNED)
NEB/EC/JWH/WTW
23-Mar-99 10:48 AM EST (1548 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America