The dismissal of the president of the international union "KVN" Alexander Maslyakov from the post of director of the State Unitary Enterprise "Moscow Youth Center "Planet KVN" received loud publicity in the media. It is simply impossible for the viewer to imagine a popular television show from which several generations of comedians emerged without its permanent inspirer.
Corruption charges
It is known that Transparency International previously published a study according to which, during Maslyakov’s management of the State Unitary Enterprise “Moscow Youth Center “Planet KVN,” a conflict of interest arose. It is alleged that, as its leader, Maslyakov transferred ownership to the Television Creative Association “Alexander Maslyakov and Company” ( TTO "AMiK"), the founder of which is himself, the cinema "Havana".
The prosecutor's office checked the deal
In May 2017, Transparency International sent a statement to the prosecutor's office with a request to check Maslyakov's activities. Then the Moscow prosecutor's office reported that the deal had been agreed upon with the Moscow Property Department.
The organization challenged the response of the Moscow prosecutor's office in the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation, and only after that the Moscow government dismissed Maslyakov from the post of director of the State Unitary Enterprise by order dated July 21, 2017.
Conflict of interest
Transparency International linked Maslyakov's resignation to the prosecutor's response to the conflict of interest case - combining the leadership of the State Unitary Enterprise with entrepreneurial activity.
Since 1990, KVN has been broadcast by Television creative association"AMiK" ("Alexander Maslyakov and Company"), created by Alexander Vasilyevich. The company owns all rights to KVN and all trademarks. Maslyakov Sr. is working on the project as a permanent presenter, director and director of the popular program, his wife, son Alexander Maslyakov Jr. and daughter-in-law.
In November 2014, the State Unitary Enterprise "Planet KVN" and Mr. Maslyakov's company "AMiK" created a joint venture - LLC "House of KVN", which the anti-corruption organization sees as a conflict of interest.
Resigned on his own initiative
As the press service of the KVN union reported the day before, “due to the need to bring it labor activity in accordance with the requirements of federal legislation." However, the dismissal was delayed "due to a number of circumstances, including some bureaucratic issues."
The union emphasized that Maslyakov was not aware of the circumstances of the inspection, including the content of the complaint received. Moreover, at the time the request was received from the prosecutor’s office, he was no longer the director of the State Unitary Enterprise.
“As far as we know, no response measures were taken based on the results of this inspection. Thus, the arguments of Transparency International were not confirmed,” the press service emphasized.
Pelsh is confident that Maslyakov will remain the host of KVN
KVN jury member and Channel One presenter Valdis Pelsh believes that Maslyakov will still “be at the helm, but will relinquish some formal powers.”
“I’m just sure that he will remain the host of KVN. This is the person on whom everything rests. Without him, KVN is unlikely to be the same as they are used to seeing it,” Pelsh told the RT channel.
- Maslyakov hosted KVN on Central television since the 1960s together with Svetlana Zhiltsova. In 1972, KVN was closed - the authorities and the KGB had difficulty accepting student jokes.
- Was Maslyakov in prison? Such rumors appeared precisely with the closure of the program in the 1970s. They said that Alexander Vasilyevich was convicted of currency fraud. Until now, 7 people are vying for the “title of Maslyakov’s place of imprisonment.” Russian cities. However, the presenter himself denies this.
- Maslyakov is a military pilot by profession.
- An asteroid is named after Alexander Maslyakov. 5245 Maslyakov was discovered by the astronomer of the Crimean Observatory N. Chernykh on April 1, 1976.
- Maslyakov was the first presenter of the TV show “What? Where? When?”, once he hosted the program “Vzglyad”.
- The database of the International KVN Union contains more than 7,000 teams. The KVN movement even has its own holiday, which is celebrated on November 8th.
Alexander Maslyakov Sr. found himself at the center of a major corruption scandal. Eventually famous TV presenter was fired from the post of head of the state enterprise "Moscow Youth Center "Planet KVN". Read what Maslyakov is suspected of in the "Question and Answer" section.
What's happened?
Human rights activists claim that Alexander Maslyakov Sr. appropriated a building in the center of Moscow. It's about about the “house of KVN”, which was presented by Vladimir Putin for the 50th anniversary of the program in 2011. It was the Havana cinema, located on Sheremetyevskaya Street.
After an expensive reconstruction, the building of the former cinema, which was renovated with budget money, was transferred to the state unitary enterprise of the city of Moscow "Moscow Youth Center "Planet KVN". Alexander Maslyakov (senior) became its director.
Everything would be fine, but since 1990, he and his wife Svetlana are the founders of the Television Creative Association “Alexander Maslyakov and Company” (TTO “AmiK”), their son Alexander is listed as a director. It is this association that owns all the rights to products that are released under the KVN brand.
And since 2015, Maslyakov Sr. registered as an individual entrepreneur. At the same time, according to the law, business and management of state-owned enterprises are incompatible things.
How then was he able to register as an individual entrepreneur and retain his position?
This question also raised eyebrows among the anti-corruption organization Transparency International. Moreover, they organized an investigation and found out that in 2014, the State Unitary Enterprise "Planet KVN" and TTO "AmiK" created a joint venture - LLC "House of KVN".
In fact, Maslyakov, as the head of a state-owned enterprise, formalized a deal with private company belonging to himself and his family. Meanwhile, the law “On State and Municipal unitary enterprises"prescribes such decisions to be coordinated with the owner. In a specific situation with the Moscow Property Department. In addition, the director of the State Unitary Enterprise is obliged to report to management all information about organizations that he and his close relatives manage or own more than 20%.
The surprises did not end there: in authorized capital The new enterprise of the State Unitary Enterprise "Planet KVN" included the former building of "Havana" and the trademark "International Union of KVN". An independent assessment (information about which company carried it out is unknown) valued the building and contents of the “House of KVN” at 1,391,070,476 rubles, and the trademark at 1,447,848,863 rubles. These amounts translate into shares of 49% and 51%, respectively.
Thus, the Maslyakovs took control of the property donated to the KVN movement. And now it is being actively exploited commercially.
Why didn’t the prosecutor’s office intervene in what was happening?
Transparency International sent a statement to General Prosecutor's Office RF with a request to check all this data. In May 2017, the department reported that the deal had been agreed upon with the Moscow Property Department. At the same time, all other inconsistencies with the legislation remained without comment.
The response of the Moscow prosecutor's office was disputed in the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, and only after that the Moscow government dismissed Maslyakov from the post of director of the State Unitary Enterprise by order dated July 21, 2017.
Transparency International accused the famous TV presenter of corruption and of stealing a building in Maryina Roshcha from the state
In Russia there are many thousands of state and municipal unitary enterprises - commercial companies established by authorities in order to earn money for the budget. Some restrictions that are imposed on the heads of state unitary enterprises and municipal unitary enterprises are even stricter than those of civil servants: officials cannot only be directors of private companies, and the heads of state unitary enterprises and municipal unitary enterprises cannot even be founders. But they, as a rule, are much less public figures, and besides, there are so many of them that it is extremely difficult to control their integrity.
We studied the activities of the heads of all state unitary enterprises and municipal unitary enterprises in cities with a population of over a million (plus Krasnodar region) - that's about 9,000 people - and wrote more than six hundred statements to the prosecutor's office about the violations identified. To begin with, we will tell you about one state unitary enterprise and its director, who did not comply with prohibitions and restrictions and was fired, but managed to cause damage to the budget.
Alexander Maslyakov. Photo from the site domkvn.ru
The TV game “The Cheerful and Resourceful Club” appeared in 1961. Alexander Maslyakov became its host in 1964 - and since then has become the symbolic center of the huge movement that arose around the program. Since 1990, he is the actual owner of the “KVN World”: the exclusive rights to everything else that comes out under the KVN brand belong to the Television Creative Association “Alexander Maslyakov and Company” (TTO “AMiK”). Its founders are Alexander Maslyakov and his wife Svetlana, and their son Alexander Maslyakov Jr. is the director.
For a long time, KVN did not have its own venue, and to hold games it was necessary to rent a Theater Russian Army in Moscow. In 2011, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave KVN a luxurious gift for its 50th anniversary - its own building. It was the Havana cinema, located on Sheremetyevskaya Street, in the Maryina Roshcha district of Moscow. It opened as a “house of KVN” on April 1, 2013.
The scandalous story of the “house of KVN” has been told more than once: blogger Oleg Lurie and the newspaper “Top Secret” wrote about it, among others. However, all these authors missed one simple fact: the whole scandal with the “diversion” of state property big building in Maryina Roshcha became possible due to non-compliance with anti-corruption standards, namely prohibitions and restrictions imposed on the heads of state unitary enterprises, as well as the principle of preventing conflicts of interest.
Technically, Putin’s gift was formalized as follows: the former “Havana”, after an expensive reconstruction at budget expense, was transferred to the state unitary enterprise of the city of Moscow “Moscow Youth Center “Planet KVN”. Alexander Vasilievich Maslyakov became the director of the State Unitary Enterprise. At the same time, he remained the founder of AMiK, and since 2015 he also became individual entrepreneur.
Clause 2 of Article 21 of the Law “On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises” prohibits combining the management of a state unitary enterprise with entrepreneurial activity and business ownership, but for some reason no one paid attention to this.
Alexander Maslyakov Jr. Photo from the site domkvn.ru
On November 6, 2014, the State Unitary Enterprise "Planet KVN" (director - Alexander Maslyakov Sr.) and TTO "AMiK" (director - Alexander Maslyakov Jr., founders - Maslyakov Sr. and his wife) created a joint venture - LLC "House of KVN".
Already in this very fact there is obvious signs conflict of interest: Maslyakov, as the head of a state-owned enterprise, entered into a deal with a private company owned by himself and his family. Article 22 of the Law “On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises” requires that such transactions be approved by the owner, i.e., in this case, the Moscow Property Department. In addition, the director of the State Unitary Enterprise is obliged to provide management with all information about organizations that he and his close relatives manage or own more than 20%.
The State Unitary Enterprise "Planet KVN" contributed the building donated by the president to the authorized capital of the joint venture, and "AMiK" contributed the trademark "International KVN Union". Some “independent appraisers” (there is no indication in the documents of who exactly carried out the examination) valued the building and internal equipment at 1,391,070,476 rubles, and the trademark at 1,447,848,863 rubles. The mark transferred to Dom KVN LLC (registered on March 14, 2008) is only one of fifteen trademarks owned by AMiK. That is, there is no talk of any transfer of the KVN brand to the joint venture.
The amounts at which unknown experts valued the building and the trademark are very accurately, almost without rounding, translated into shares of 49% and 51%.
A 51% share in the joint venture allows AMiK (that is, the Maslyakov family), among other things, to approve major transactions and related-party transactions for director Angelina Maslyakova. In short, the Maslyakovs retained the KVN trademark and took control of the real estate donated to the KVN movement. And it is actively exploited commercially.
Moreover, a year after the creation of Dom KVN LLC, as the copyright holder of the building, also received a land plot with an area of 6326 sq. m. for 49 years. m. and a cadastral value of 694 million rubles (at the time of lease). It was enough for the company to simply submit an application - and, since the building already belonged to it, the Moscow authorities did not have the opportunity to refuse to lease the land until July 2064.
Thus, state property - the former Havana cinema and the land under it - was transferred in transit through the State Unitary Enterprise to a company that is 51% owned by private individuals - the Maslyakov family.
Our actions
We sent an application to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation with a request to check:
1. Compliance by Alexander Maslyakov with prohibitions and restrictions imposed on the heads of state unitary enterprises;
2. Contribution by the State Unitary Enterprise “Planet KVN” of the building, which was provided to it by the state for conducting statutory activities, as a contribution to the authorized capital of LLC “House of KVN”;
// Photo: Vadim Tarakanov / Legion-Media
The international anti-corruption organization Transparency International reported that Alexander Maslyakov Sr. was fired from his post as head of the state unitary enterprise Planet KVN.
It is alleged that the presenter was suspected of fraud. According to Transparency employees, Maslyakov allegedly did not comply with the restrictions and prohibitions imposed by law on the heads of state unitary enterprises. In 2011, Alexander Vasilyevich, being the founder of the private creative association “AMiK”, which owns the exclusive rights to products under the KVN brand, became the head of “Planet KVN”. The building of the Havana cinema was transferred to the state enterprise.
In 2015, according to the anti-corruption organization, Maslyakov became an individual entrepreneur, although according to the law, the heads of state unitary enterprises do not have the right to combine work and business.
// Photo: Still from the “Evening Urgant” program
A year earlier, Planet KVN and AMiK, whose director is Alexander Maslyakov Jr., created the joint venture House of KVN.
“In this very fact there are obvious signs of a conflict of interest: Maslyakov, as the head of a state-owned enterprise, entered into a deal with a private company owned by himself and his family,” experts emphasize. – Article 22 of the law “On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises” requires that such transactions be approved by the owner, i.e., in this case, the Moscow Property Department. In addition, the director of the State Unitary Enterprise is obliged to provide management with all information about the organizations that he and his close relatives manage or own by more than 20%.
In the House of KVN, AMiK received a share of 51%, which allows the director of the new company, Angelina Maslyakova (the wife of the son of a famous TV presenter), to manage the assets of the state unitary enterprise, including the Havana cinema.
“In short, the Maslyakovs retained the KVN trademark and took control of the real estate donated to the KVN movement.” And they are actively exploiting it commercially,” experts say.
In addition, as experts report, “House of KVN,” as the copyright holder of the building, received a lease of a land plot with a cadastral value of 694 million rubles. “Thus, state property - the former Havana cinema and the land under it - was transferred in transit through the State Unitary Enterprise to a company that is 51% owned by private individuals - the Maslyakov family,” the anti-corruption organization says on its website.
Based on the above facts, Transparency employees turned to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation with a request to check Maslyakov’s activities. As a result, the presenter was fired from the position of director of the State Unitary Enterprise in July 2017, the organization reports.
Online publications and newspapers recently blew up the latest news that Alexander Maslyakov was fired from KVN. According to the latest data, the event occurred after an inspection by the Prosecutor General. What was the reason, and what fate awaits everyone’s favorite program, which no Russian can imagine without Alexander Vasilyevich?
Reason for dismissal
The investigation by the prosecutor's office was initiated by Transparency International. Alexander Vasilyevich was accused of combining two positions, which was contrary to the law. He simultaneously held the position of head of the State Unitary Enterprise "Planet KVN" and commercial enterprise"AMiK".
Transparency International asked the Prosecutor's Office to check for a conflict of interest. According to the law, heads of state unitary enterprises cannot simultaneously manage commercial enterprises.
The fact of part-time work happened back in 2014. During this period, Planet KVN and the creative association AMiK formed Dom KVN LLC. The whole story began after a gift for the anniversary of the Cheerful and Resourceful Club. Anti-corruption officials pointed out that the building, donated to KVN for the 50th anniversary by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, was owned by the city of Moscow. It was a cinema building. It is located on Sheremetyevskaya Street and its cost is more than 100 billion rubles. However, this figure does not include the cost. land plot. As a result, it turned out that the property was owned by a private company.
The gift was made so that the Club could have its own building. Since the revival of KVN, they have always had to rent halls, since they do not have their own premises.
House of KVN in Moscow
Many people call this situation “laughter through tears.” Maslyakov was fired because of a gift from the President. Alexander Vasilyevich was credited with resourcefulness in a different sense.
Alexander Vasilyevich himself did not comment on the situation. According to his family, he made the decision to resign from his position on his own. It has been brewing since the beginning of the year.
The International KVN Union reported that Maslyakov was not aware that a prosecutor’s investigation into the complaint had been launched against him. In addition, at the time of the inspection he no longer held the position of manager. The dismissal procedure was initiated by Alexander Vasilievich personally.
Alexander Maslyakov was fired
Corruption charges
By latest news It is known about Alexander Maslyakov that accusations of corruption began to fall on the father of the cheerful and resourceful people. He is considered one of the richest presenters on our television - his earnings are based on the Soviet times KVN system. Alexander Vasilyevich's income is more than $3.5 million a year. To perform in KVN, each team must pay a fee of 20,000 rubles, regardless of the level of play. There is information that teams must transfer amounts for each trip on tour in the amount of up to 20% of the fee, but this information has not been officially confirmed.
Alexander Maslyakov and Vladimir Putin
What will happen to KVN
The life of Alexander Maslyakov is closely connected with KVN. And not a single viewer can imagine the program without him. The latest news that Alexander Maslyakov has been fired from KVN is exciting. What will happen to the program, will Alexander Vasilyevich remain its host?
The club of cheerful and resourceful people is one of the brightest pages in Maslyakov’s life. He is the leader, director and presenter of this humorous project. Several times he was on the jury at outdoor performances.
In 1974, KVN was closed. For Maslyakov this became a personal tragedy. Only 14 years later it was possible to achieve the resumption of the program.
He even met his wife Svetlana Smirnova at KVN. She worked as an assistant director. The couple have been living happily for 40 years.
Alexander Vasilyevich Maslyakov with his son Alexander
The son of Alexander Vasilyevich did not plan to connect his life with KVN. He dreamed of being a politician. But the atmosphere in the family played a role in choosing a profession. Alexander did not become a diplomat. Already for a long time he hosts “Planet KVN” and “Premier League KVN”.
Fans of the humorous project have no reason to worry. According to the latest news, Alexander Vasilyevich Maslyakov is not leaving KVN for good, he remains its host. And he will delight viewers with his radiant smile for a long time.
