Outing the Oligarchy - International Forum on Globalization

— INDIVIDUALS OF UNDUE INFLUENCE —
DMITRI RYBOLOVLEV, RUSSIA
$9.5 BILLION [AS OF MARCH 2011]
Wealth: Dmitri Rybolovlev made his fortune by acquiring <strong>the</strong> formerly state-owned potash fertilizer
company Uralkali during <strong>the</strong> 1990s privatization in Russia. Until recently, Rybolovlev owned two-thirds of
<strong>the</strong> company. In 2011, Rybolovlev sold his interest in Uralkali to fellow billionaire Suleiman Kerimov and
o<strong>the</strong>r buyers for $6.8 billion and a stake in Kerimov’s Polyus Gold. In 2008, Rybolovlev bought Donald
Trump’s Palm Beach mansion, Maison de l’Amitie, for $100 million. He reportedly lives on <strong>the</strong> tax-sheltered
island of Cyprus.
Power Networks: Rybolovlev is reported to be close <strong>the</strong> Putin regime and to Nikita Belykh, <strong>the</strong> governor of
<strong>the</strong> Kirov region.
Environment: In 2006, a flood at <strong>the</strong> company’s largest mine forced <strong>the</strong> relocation of <strong>the</strong> residents of a city
in <strong>the</strong> Ural Mountains and cut off a railway line carrying supplies to rival miner Silvinit. Damages were
estimated at $90 million. In 1996, Rybolovlev spent several months in prison for involvement in <strong>the</strong> murder
of an industrialist, although he was later acquitted for lack of evidence. In late 2010, a messy divorce trial
revealed that Rybolovlev had dissolved much of his business holdings and it was alleged that he had hidden
his assets through banks in Cyprus and elsewhere. 94 95 Uralkali has substantial sustainability and environment
sections on its website 96 but <strong>the</strong> company is not on <strong>the</strong> Dow Jones Sustainability Index
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