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The Times

9 Oct, 10 tweets, 3 min read

Exclusive: Viktor Fedotov, a Russian-born Tory donor accused of profiting from major fraud in the Pandora Papers, is suspected to be the beneficiary of the trust that owns a spectacular £18 million west London mansion thetimes.co.uk/article/pandor…

The former oil executive has been accused of benefitting from an alleged $143m contracting fraud in Russia, on the basis of leaked documents

The BBC had previously alleged that funds from Fedotov’s deal were used to purchase a £7 million Hampshire mansion, Aragon Hall

Property deeds show that the same Swiss trust company that owns Aragon Hall also owns The Octagon

The Octagon, a former school once visited by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, has six bedrooms, a gym, a wine cellar, and an indoor swimming pool, according to planning documents

A former engineer, in 1990 Fedotov became head of a subsidiary of Lukoil, Russia’s largest independent oil company

In 2004 he became chairman of VNIIST, a pipeline construction company

It is alleged Fedotov financially benefited from contract awards between VNIIST and the Russian state-controlled gas transit company Transneft, for work that did not take place, according to a 2008 internal Transneft audit report

The files allegedly show millions of dollars flowing into the trusts and that by 2007 Fedotov's trust held some $97m in assets

The Times revealed last year that Fedotov was also the owner of Aquind, a major Conservative donor that has given more than £700,000 to dozens of MPs

Aquind, co-owned by Fedotov and former Russian arms company chief, and major Conservative donor, Alexander Temerko is applying for permission to construct a £1.2bn energy and data cable to connect the UK and French power grids
thetimes.co.uk/article/alexan…

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, will decide by October 21 whether to give planning permission for the cable

The Times understands Temerko attended Conservative Party conference earlier this week

Lawyers for Aquind and Temerko said donations were “entirely lawful, properly declared and have not been made in return for any special treatment”
thetimes.co.uk/article/pandor…

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