Evgeniya Chaykovskaya
On Monday, RIA Novosti reported that Telman Ismailov, the owner of AST Group and the former owner of Moscow's Cherkizovsky market planned to return to the capital.
The report said that the oligarch intended to work on developing projects in Moscow and Sochi, and was apparently seeking land in the Moscow region to build another flea market that the media promptly dubbed "New-Cherkizon."
Interfax news agency refuted the information, citing a source close to Ismailov's family the businessman was given permission to live and work in Turkey and had no plans of returning to Moscow. Alexei Mogila, head of the commercial property department of Penny Lane Realty believes Ismailov's physical presence in the country is not necessary in order to hold business in Russia, RIA Novosti reported.
Ismailov was in Turkey when the infamous Cherkizovsky market was closed down due to pressure from the federal authorities.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the government meeting on June, 1 2009 asked law-enforcement agencies to deal with 2 billion dollars worth of smuggled goods.
Mass media speculate that the action took place as a response to the opening party thrown by Ismailov in the end of May and attended by numerous celebrities and Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov with his wife Yelena Baturina in his luxurious hotel Madras Palace in Turkey, which cost him more than 1.5 billon dollars.
Vladimir Putin in his Q&A with the population in December said that if someone had money to invest, it would be a good idea to do so in Russian Federation, for example in Sochi.
Another oligarch who might come back to Russia is Mikhail Gutseriev.
He tried to sell his company Russneft to Oleg Deripaska in July 2007 under pressure from high-ranking officials, according to mass media. But the deal fell through.
Gutseriev was accused of tax evasion and illegal business activity and was put on an international wanted list.
However, in November 2009 the accusation of tax fraud was dropped and his name was removed from the list.
It is possible that Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, President of the Republic of Ingushetia, spoke in his defense, according to Gazeta.ru.
Gutseriev is said to support Ingushetia's economy as well as Yevkurov, who is trusted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Russneft was returned to Gutseriev at the end of 2009.
However, he still has not returned to Russia.
Another oligarch, Vladimir Gusinsky, declared in an interview with the Israeli newspaper The Marker in October his desire to come back to Russia if authorities allowed him. The media suppose the Kremlin was aware of the oligarch's desire to come back, but was not ready to support it.
Ismailov and Gutseriev may return to Russia and work here because they have patrons among the authorities, unlike another runaway oligarch, Yevgeny Chichvarkin, who is living in London.
Russian authorities requested his extradition from Britain on accusations of kidnapping and extortion.
A court hearing will take place in August. In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, Chichvarkin said that his chances of returning to Russia are "zero."
Russia's famous oligarch Boris Berezovsky is also in London where he was given political asylum. In Russia, he was found guilty on accounts of theft and convicted in absentia.
Some say that the businessmen hold some talks with influential figures in Russia behind the scenes. They have not been able to achieve the same heights in business abroad.
For instance, Vladimir Gusinsky's latest attempt to start a new media business in the Ukraine led to a legal argument with his partner, ex-Yukos top manager Konstantin Kagalovsky.
Kagalovsky is demanding that Gusinsky pays him 11.5 million dollars that he invested in the failed project.
Chichvarkin has said that he is building a banya (Russian steam-house) in London and not doing anything else while Berezovsky's wealth was down by 217 million British pounds (206 million dollars) in 2009.
