Having supplied the Presidential Security Service carpark, Aleksin got control over tobacco business

In early 2021 in Aleksin’s carpark consisted of 16 automobiles, one motorcycle “Harley-Davidson” and a boat trailer. 

His sons had 9 more cars. 

The estimated value of the Aleksins family carpark was about $ 1,5 mln.

His auto collection could have been bigger but in autumn 2018 the businessman deeded 9 of his cars as an outright gift to the Presidential Security Service. Some of these cars were a modernized “GAZ-69”, black convertible “Chevrolet Impala” 1958, two “Maybach” 62S and two motorcycles “Harley-Davidson” and “Jawa”. 

The real jewel of this gift became a customised “BCC Vintage RB” 2018. The overall value of the souvenirs is approximately $ 1,247 mln. Not surprisingly, Aleksandr Lukashenko was seen driving some of the cars. For instance, on October 12 2018 he took Vladimir Lukashenko on a ride on his newly-acquired “GAZ-69” along empty streets of agrotown Alexandria. 

In order to get the reason for such a kind gesture, our investigators recollected the events preceding the gift. 

Indeed, Aliaksei Aleksin succeeded in business in 2018. In February his company “Energo-Oil” signed an investment agreement for a unified distribution line in the tobacco business. This decision was made during a meeting with Lukashenko. 

Thus, in June “Energo-Oil” got the right to import cigarettes. Previously, only the enterprise of Administration of the President had this right.

Later in July Aleksandr Lukashenko issued a decree, according to which the Minsk territory was expanded, so that Aleksin could build his own tobacco plant “Inter Tobacco” in the industrial zone “Shabany”. 

But this was just the tip of the list of the privileges. In August 2018 Aleksin’s company “Energo-Oil” became the only sales operator of tobacco products of “Neman” tobacco factory. The company privatized a chain of dedicated kiosks “Tabak”, which previously belonged to a state enterprise, and created its own distribution called “Tabakerka”.

Today “Energo-Oil” presents itself as the leader of the tobacco market in Belarus and makes 40% of tobacco products on the market. The company is in charge of distribution of 2 out of 3 belarusian tobacco factories. Its revenue last year amounted to more than $600 mln.

Where did Aleksin get the money? The company “Energo-Oil” was based on “Triple-Energo” in February 2013, which was preceded by quite controversial events. Earlier Aleksin cooperated with a businessman Yury Chyzh and made his company a part of the holding “Triple-Energo”. The partners made a fortune on the oil business. But in March 2012 the EU imposed sanctions on numerous companies owned by Yury Chyzh. 

At the same time parties of the “Triple-Energo” holding were involved in schemes with dissolvents, which outraged russian authorities. Meanwhile, Chyzh and Aleksin were having a misunderstanding, which resulted in separation. One part of the assets that Aleksin received as the result of separation became “Energo-Oil”. But the businessman was close to losing it all. In October 2013 Aleksin was arrested as a suspect in a case on Uladzimir Volkau, the vice-president of “Belneftekhim”. However, Aleksin managed to get away with it and continued to extend his influence. 

In summer 2021 Aleksin himself got sanctioned for being too close with Lukashenko. But the witty businessman  had got ahead of the curve and passed the key assets to his sons. He and his wife were registered as the owners of JSC “Energo-Oil” and LLC “Belneftegaz”, but right before the sanctions the companies no longer belonged to them. 

Were the measures effective? Well, to oppose american sanctions it wasn’t enough because in August 2021 the US imposed personal sanctions on Aleksin and his assets “Energo-Oil”, “Belneftegaz” and “Inter Tobacco”, although the companies weren’t technically owned by him.  

Anyway, the EU sanctions weren't able to harm the businessman as badly. 

For instance, this summer Aleksin’s partners became the owners of two Latvian companies “Latgales Alus D” and “Mamas D”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia was satisfied as “Aliaksei Aleksin has no direct bearing on “Mamas D” and “Latgales Alus D”, therefore, the sanctions don’t apply to the real companies beneficiary”. 

“When the sanctions were not as severe as they are today, Latvia was the only country supporting Aleksin in the fight against sanctions. I asked the officials what the reasons for such a support from their side were. The unofficial answer was that Aleksin provides employment in Latgale region, which is very poor. But now, when Aleksin is finally sanctioned, Latvian authorities claim the sanctions are 100% personal because, technically, he doesn’t own anything. In Latvia sanctions don’t apply to your family members who own the enterprises with indication that you don’t get any profit from the companies. The whole situation is a tad ridiculous”, - says Sanita Emberga, the Head of the Center for Investigative Journalism.