MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: The Russian Federation cannot interfere in the US Justice Department’s tax case against Novatek corporate executive Mark Gyetvay, but it is ready to provide diplomatic assistance to him as a Russian citizen, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
"Since this individual is also a Russian citizen, he therefore has dual citizenship, if I get it right, so we are surely interested in his fate, and the circumstances of the case. Of course, from the side of our diplomatic offices, we will be ready to provide all necessary assistance," he said.
Meanwhile, being a US citizen as well, Gyetvay "incurs certain liabilities in terms of taxes," Peskov pointed out. "In this case, we have no possibility to interfere in those processes," he noted.
Concerning this situation, for Moscow "the key thing is to make sure that all legal rights for legal defense of Russian citizens are provided, this is an absolute priority," Kremlin Spokesman emphasized.
DOJ vs Novatek corporate executive
The US Department of Justice said earlier that Gyetvay had been arrested in Florida. He is accused of concealing assets for the purpose of tax evasion. According to the Department of Justice, Gyetvay from 2005 to 2016, "allegedly engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States by concealing his ownership and control over substantial offshore assets and by failing to file and pay taxes on millions of dollars of income." The amount of funds he hid from the US government exceeded $93 mln at one point. The DOJ said in its report that Gyetvay in hiding his ownership of foreign accounts and associated assets, removed himself and made "his then-wife, a Russian citizen, the beneficial owner of the accounts." He is facing up to 20 years in prison.
Novatek stated earlier on Friday that no official requests or any other documents have been received from the US authorities or other countries regarding Gyetvay. Currently the company is establishing the circumstances of the incident. The situation "does not and will not affect the company’s operations," Novatek assured.
Gyetvay has been working in Russia since 1995, upon becoming a partner at PwC Global Energy. He began his career with Novatek in 2003. In August 2007, he was elected as a member of the board of the company. Since July 2010, he has served as Novatek’s deputy chairman. Gyetvay was awarded Russian citizenship in 2019.
