THE MURDER OF THE CO-OWNER OF "HIMFOOD" MAY BE RELATED TO HIS BANKRUPTCY

On November 7, the body of Mikhail Kotov was found in a Mercedes car parked under an overpass near the Ukraina Hotel. A 50-year-old businessman from the capital, sitting in the driver's seat, was shot in the head. It is known that he was engaged in the trade of food additives, was the founder of the companies "Himfood" and "Himtech-holding", headed the firm "Bioalliance". Earlier, the entrepreneur was declared insolvent.

Law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation into the incident. In hot pursuit, they detained a suspect - 46-year-old entrepreneur Lema Ibragimov. The weapon of the crime (a pistol) was seized from him, from which, apparently, the fatal shot to the head was fired. 

According to Ibragimov, he and Kotov were traveling in a car, heading to the Radisson Royal Hotel. The quarrel between them led to the fact that Kotov pulled out a weapon and pointed it at his partner. However, having snatched the weapon from Kotov, Ibragimov shot the victim.

Investigators will have to find out whether the evidence of the alleged murderer corresponds to the traces of the crime. Numerous examinations are planned on the case, including a report by ballistics experts.

Among the many versions of the murder, the investigation considers the version of the conflict on professional grounds to be the main one at the moment. Kotov was the owner of a company receiving billions in revenue (1.1 billion in 2021). However, the Himfood company, along with the deceased entrepreneur, had two more co-founders, CEO Ivan Kutsy and Boris Lukachevsky.

In June, the head of the company "Himfud" appealed to the Federal Tax Service with a statement of refusal to apply to the organization a moratorium on bankruptcy established by the state. This act was perceived by some market participants as a possible step towards declaring the company bankrupt.

The deceased Kotov in 2020 turned out to be a debtor in the amount of about 10 million rubles, which he did not pay to the capital entrepreneur Karen Poghosyan. He declared Kotov's insolvency, but it did not come to declaring him bankrupt. The co-owner of Himfood paid the debt on time and in mid-2021 the capital arbitration closed the case.

The alleged killer of Kotov is reported to be a native of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. According to one version, he was previously a co-owner of the construction company "Continent", as well as the company "Flamingo", engaged in the sale of vegetables and fruits. The investigation is to find out what kind of business connected the murder suspect and the victim.

Фото: Изображение от Freepik