Lenya Golubkov said that Sergei Mavrodi was poisoned

HELP “MK”

From February 1, 1994, an unknown mathematician Mavrodi printed and sold his shares, and later tickets, he traded them according to the principle: “Today is always more expensive than yesterday.” By the summer of 1994, unsecured MMM tickets had risen in price 127 times. Ordinary citizens throughout the country willingly paid with MMM shares among themselves, along with the ruble and dollars. But in mid-July, a large-scale campaign against MMM was launched in numerous media outlets. Mavrodi was detained for non-payment of taxes. The arrest was broadcast live on federal channels of the country. At the same time, the head office of his company was stormed. Mavrodi himself later claimed that the authorities took 17 KamAZ trucks of cash from the company’s offices. After leaving prison, Mavrodi again tried to create a financial pyramid in different parts of the world, even in Africa. But in the end, there was no one to even bury him – an initiative group of former investors of the financial pyramid took up the procedure.

“I’m not a freeloader, I honestly earned my money,” the former MMM partner, who became famous thanks to the role of Leni Golubkov in a series of pyramid commercials, warns us out of habit. Actor Vladimir Permyakov, who became a hostage to one role, more than once reproached himself for it – the directors no longer offered him other characters. Permyakov never bought shares of this company and never bought a “house in Paris” for himself. Only once he was somehow presented with 5 “Mavrodikov”, he immediately sold them.

“It was the state that robbed the people, not Mavrodi,” actor Vladimir Permyakov still believes. – The ingenious entrepreneur was used, but the owners took 17 cars with money on time.

— What about 17 cars?

– Only from the central office of “MMM” they took out 17 “KamAZ” money. None of them ever made it to the bank.

– I wish I could ask the drivers where they unloaded everything …

“I think all the drivers are dead. Money from the MMM office was taken out by trucks for a week, they disappeared somewhere, and then the authorities said that Mavrodi had deceived everyone.

– According to various estimates, 10-15 million people took part in the pyramid. Are the numbers correct?

– Yes, that’s why they were afraid of Mavrodi. Imagine if the whole of Moscow came out in protest. Therefore, the authorities gradually drowned MMM, preparing the public. In general, if Sergey Panteleevich was an evil person, he could arrange a civil war after they dealt with MMM, and the officials appropriated the money for themselves, he could easily! But Mavrodi is taller and more honest than these bureaucrats who made him a scapegoat.

– Come to the grave of Mavrodi?

– Yes, his grave is in good condition, there are always flowers on it, everything is as it should be. Many people loved him, not only the MMM employees.

– There is an opinion that Mavrodi did not die, but imitated death and went abroad.

— No, they would have found him abroad.

– Again, they buried him after a heart attack in a closed coffin, the press was not allowed into the cemetery …

“You won’t believe it, they didn’t even let me in.” The guards told me: only the closest relatives.

– Let’s take a look at the circumstances of the death of Mavrodi. What was it about her that bothered you?

– At the bus stop, he became ill with a heart, as official sources say. A random woman called an ambulance, and he died in the hospital. It confuses me, what could he do at a bus stop at one in the morning alone? I know that he had an old “penny” and a bodyguard who drove Mavrodi around Moscow on it. And at the bus stop at one in the morning he had nothing to do. All this looks strange. I think Mavrodi was poisoned and thrown on the side of the road.

– What words do you remember Sergei Panteleevich today?

– He showed people all their insignificance and weakness in six months. Until the end of his life he was faithful to his work. Russia has lost a talented, intelligent person. Previously, they were persecuted and scolded. Custom articles were written by Chernomyrdin’s people. Yeltsin needed money for the elections. And then he was prompted: look, how Mavrodi cuts the loot well. Well, they drowned “MMM”, and their GKO pyramid (Government short-term bonds. – Ed.) opened. And criticizing “MMM”, they promoted their T-bills. They collected money, twisted it for several months and stopped. There was such a time. Even members of the government were involved in crime. Once, on one of the TV shootings, I met a man who confessed to me that he participated in the collapse of MMM on the part of the state – he wrote denunciations. Now he repents. I understood from his emotions.

– How did you get into MMM and when did you meet Mavrodi?

– I met by chance, as I got the role of Golubkov. We filmed the first video on February 5, 1994. Tatyana Korshunova, the director of Wick, invited me to play. According to the acting task, a man from the people was required. Knowing the Russian peasant, his inner world, intellect, emotions, I built the image of Leni Golubkov. It was based on the sincerity and immediacy of the peasant. Such a goofy character.

And more closely already later communicated. After leaving the prison, Mavrodi was invited every day to TV shows, where they called me too. And there were various provocations.

– For example?

– I remember standing behind the stage, waiting for my exit. One granny runs up to Mavrodi, who is sitting in an armchair, and throws a pack of tickets in his face: “Choke on your shares!” She ran backstage and laughs, so happy, happy, says: “Well, how did I play?” They answer her: “Good, Mary Ivanovna, well done, well done!”

– Did you change your mind about Mavrodi after his death?

– No. This is a wise, intelligent person with a good sense of humor. He was also a talented writer. And he went in for sports on the horizontal bar in the apartment. I spoke with him many times.

– What did you talk about with Mavrodi?

– Once I suggested that he sell MMM to the state. Let, I say, it works in the same way, and you will be its honorary president. He answered me: “Then why did I organize it?” In general, he was, of course, a person.

– In his eternal sweats, Mavrodi seemed to be an absolute ascetic. He lived all his life in his parent’s “three-ruble note”, once he went to a restaurant, where he did not like it. He was not abroad, he was not fond of women, he loved solo fishing in the wilderness of Karelia. He seemed to think he was the messiah. What plans did Mavrodi have for this world, why did he need a lot of money?

– There are two options. Or he was simply interested in financial projects – for him, money was secondary. Either Mavrodi was forced by big officials, somewhere they caught him on the hook. In order to extort money from people, he created this pyramid.

– Is it true that Mavrodi did not feel any emotions about money?

— Yes, projects were the main thing for him. I remember one day I met a guy by chance. So he, he says, was in prison with Mavrodi. He amazed everyone with his extraordinary mind while playing chess. I like to say that if I were the Minister of Finance, I would take Sergei Panteleevich to my assistant – so that he would invent projects. Two out of ten such projects of his, I am sure, would not be connected with crime. It would be fair business.

– The advertising “series” “MMM”, which made you popular, consisted of 43 episodes. What do you remember about these shoots?

– I immediately fell in love with my character: Lenya is a sincere family man and generally a positive hero. I played him like Hamlet, looking for the seed in every episode. Here he goes, worried: he worked for a month on an excavator, but there is not enough money. And then he took a risk. What if I get cured? Month down the drain! He’s sorry. And then he takes the money. “Me, me, is it all for me?” – he was stunned with happiness. On the set, I improvised, I said to my partner: “Honey, now I know exactly how we will live … Soon we will buy a house in Paris.”

– Why didn’t you get rich, why didn’t you buy shares?

I didn’t have money for them then. I did not become rich, but I got a name that is now almost impossible to make.