Alexey Kuzmichev | |
|---|---|
Алексей Кузьмичёв | |
.jpg) Kuzmichev in 2015 | |
| Born | (1962-10-15)15 October 1962 (age 62) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse | Svetlana Kuzmicheva-Uspenskaya |
Alexey Viktorovich Kuzmichev orKousmichoff (Russian:Алексей Викторович Кузьмичёв; born 15 October 1962) is a Russian businessman. He is one of the founders of theLetterOne Group (LetterOne) and theAlfa Group.[1]
Kuzmichev was a stakeholder inVimpelCom,Alfa-Bank, andX5 Retail Group.[2] In March 2013, Kuzmichev sold his stake in energy ventureTNK-BP to state-run oil companyRosneft for $2.5 billion. In March 2023, Kuzmichev sold his 16.32% stake in Alfa Bank and left the shareholders.[3]
For the first time,Forbes magazine rated Kuzmichev in 2013 — as the 138th world's richest person with a fortune estimated at $8.8 billion. In 2023 he was ranked number 397 with a $6.5 billion fortune.[4]
Kuzmichev was born in 1962 inKirov, Russia. Between 1980 and 1982 he served in the army on the Soviet-Chinese border as a radio operator. During this time he joined the Communist party.[5]
In 1983, he enrolled in theMoscow Institute of Steel and Alloys where he met his future business partners,Mikhail Fridman andGerman Khan.[6] In 1988, Kuzmichev, Fridman and Khan, along with Mikhail Alfimov, founded Alfa Photo, which specialized in the import of photo chemicals.[7]
Later, Kuzmichev convinced his partners to diversify into the export business. Thus, in 1998, Alfa Eco was founded. The venture would become the basis ofAlfa Group Consortium. (In 2005, Alfa Eco was rebranded as A1).[8]
Alfa Group's portfolio includes the largest commercial bank in Russia,Alfa-Bank, (with affiliates in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and the Netherlands/Amsterdam Trade Bank); international telecom companyVimpelCom (the sixth largest mobile network operator in the world by subscribers as of April, 2012); as well as holding shares in Turkish telecommunications companyTurkcell. Until April 2012, Alfa Group owned 25 percent of Russian cell phone operatorMegaFon; it sold its share for $5.2 billion. Alfa also has stakes in Russian retailer X5 Retail Group,[2]Rosvodokanal Group; and insurance company, Alfa-Strakhovanie Group.[9] Kuzmichev owns over 18 percent of the consortium's joint assets and is a member of the board of directors of Alfa Finance Holdings. The Group's major transactions include TNK oil company privatization, which later became a part ofTNK-BP venture, Russia's third-largest oil producer. In March 2013 Alfa Group and its joint partners AAR Consortium sold 50 percent ofTNK-BP to Russian oil companyRosneft.[citation needed]
Kuzmichev is responsible for overseeing Alfa Group’s international trading operations.[citation needed]
Crown Resources, a European oil and commodity trading arm of Alfa Group, of which Kuzmichev is chairman, was the owner of the oil cargo onThe Prestige vessel, which sank near the coast of Galicia, Spain in 2002. The case concerning The Prestige centred on the negligence of the vessel's owner and was completed in July 2013. No accusations or financial claims were made against Crown Resources.[10]
Kuzmichev is one of the original founders of theLetterOne Group. The LetterOne Group (LetterOne) is an international investment business based inLuxembourg. Its investments are focused on the telecoms, technology and energy sectors through its two main business units,L1 Energy and L1 Technology.[11] Despite recently being required by the Government to sell their North Sea oil and gas fields, LetterOne have reportedly been told in a statement from a senior UK official that this 'is not a judgement on the suitability of LetterOne's owners to control these or any other assets in the UK.[12]
Kuzmichev is married to Svetlana Kuzmicheva-Uspenskaya.[13] In 2016, he bought a US$42 million mansion in New York City.[14]
He was sanctioned by the European Union, Australia, Canada and theUK government in 2022 in relation to theRusso-Ukrainian War.[15] In August 2023, theUnited States imposed financial sanctions on Kuzmichev pursuant to Executive Order 14024, placing him onOFAC'sSDN List for "operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy."[16][17][18]
Two of Kuzmichev's yachts have been seized by France due to the sanctions against Russian billionaires after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia but were returned on appeal.[19]
On 30 October 2023, French police detained Kuzmichev and also conducted searches in the businessman’s Parisian mansion and his villa inSaint-Tropez. He was released from custody on bail of €8 million the same day. Kuzmichev is suspected of tax crimes and violation of sanctions.[20][21][22][23]
In November 2023, the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) announced charges against Kuzmichev for tax fraud.[24] He was subsequently placed underjudicial supervision and banned from leaving the country.[25]
