Corporate Raiding on the Rise in Russia, Experts Warn

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a first of its kind analysis, two leading Russia experts released their findings about the practice of corporate raiding in Russia, as reported by APCO Worldwide.

The report, released by Dr. Louise Shelley and Judy Deane of George Mason University's Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, outlines the systematic tactics, abuses, and corruption that have led to a rise in business raiding and asset grabbing in Russia. The report, "Reiderstvo: Implications for Russia and the West," is the first comprehensive overview of the practice, which Shelley and Deane outline as "contributing to Russia's current unfriendly business climate and to declining investor confidence in the country."

Reiderstvo (literally "raiding"), long-practiced within Russia, implies the acquisition of business assets through illegal tactics such as bribery, forgery, corruption, intimidation, and violence. In light of increased attacks against businesses of all sizes across Russia, the study shines a light on the "playbook" by which illegal corporate raiders have systemized asset grabbing. This study identifies specific administrative and legal abuses in Russia that allow reiderstvo to flourish, offering legislators and businesses concrete examples to identify potential asset grabs in the future.

The report clearly outlines a four-step process by which raiding takes place. This paper is part of a larger research effort to be published in a scholarly journal with additional details of individual cases of corporate raiding. Given that the research identified that the frequency of raiding is growing and significantly higher than earlier estimated, the researchers release this preliminary report prior to the release of their broader study.

The report was released at the National Press Club in Washington, DC in a session moderated by Jeffrey Mankoff, CSIS. The event was attended by a cross-section of media, think tanks, and other regional experts. 

A copy of the report can be found at www.reiderstvo.org.

About the authors:

Dr. Louise Shelley, Founder and Director of TraCCC. Dr. Shelley is a leading expert on the relationship among terrorism, organized crime and corruption as well as human trafficking, transnational crime and terrorism with a particular focus on the former Soviet Union. She also specializes in illicit financial flows and money laundering.

Ms. Judy Deane, Deputy Director of TraCCC. Ms. Deane is a retired Foreign Service Officer specializing in Central Europe and Eurasia, having served in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia and Russia and at the World Bank.

Glyn Cozart
1-202-905-7616
[email protected]

SOURCE APCO Worldwide