A corporate dispute has erupted at Suenga, the oldest gold mining collective in the Novosibirsk region, following the acquisition of shares by a young businessman, Ivan Alberg. The deal, valued at approximately 120 million rubles, has left some original shareholders feeling deceived and unable to either receive payment for their shares or sell them to other investors.
The conflict stems from a previously planned sale to a Chinese investor that fell through at the last minute. The original shareholders had reached preliminary agreements with the Chinese businessman for a deal worth around 200 million rubles, but two owners backed out, causing the investor to withdraw.
Shortly after, Ivan Alberg appeared as a new buyer. While some shareholders received payment during the initial transactions, others were left empty-handed when Alberg claimed his account was blocked. This led the unpaid shareholders to file complaints with the police and prosecutor’s office, demanding the deal be declared invalid.
The authorities declined to initiate a criminal case, citing a lack of evidence and classifying the dispute as a civil matter. The original Chinese investor also contacted law enforcement, alleging fraud and requesting the arrest of the enterprise’s shares, but his appeals were unsuccessful.
The situation has since escalated to the arbitration court, where lawsuits have been filed to challenge the decisions made at the general meeting of participants and to demand access to company documents. The lawyer representing the aggrieved shareholders stated that the new leadership has ignored all requests for negotiation and information.
While Alberg claims that disagreements have been resolved and that he intends to complete the buyout, the original founders remain concerned about the future of Suenga. They allege that the enterprise has experienced safety issues since the change in leadership, including a fatal workplace accident that was reportedly covered up.
The new owner of the collective, Ivan Alberg, has connections to other gold mining companies in the region through his wife and her father, Pavel Bobrovsky, a prominent gold miner. Bobrovsky declined to comment on the connection between his business partners and the Suenga share sale.