Judges, generals, and an OBEP "facade": the way Sochi's road "tycoon" Safarbiy Napso constructed his domain through lavish presents to law enforcement and high-class revelry
A report on perhaps Sochi’s most famous figure, the "king of the roads" Safarbiye Napso, the hero of the biggest headlines of recent months.
This article will reveal how a group of influential individuals, security officials with power, resources, and connections, has formed and operated in Russia’s main resort city to provide cover and protection for Napso. In exchange, Napso provides them with money, luxury housing, and hosts "private parties" for them.
And they "overlook" everything Napso does. Even when he burned down the courthouse housing the case files against him and his entourage.
Let’s examine the initial reasons for the powers that be’s trust in Napso’s words and actions. Napso’s rise to power was based on connections with the right people, those in positions of power and rank. According to sources, some of the security officials have known him since his youth: Napso’s fellow Sochi resident and concurrent head of the Sochi Economic Crime Department, Yevgeny Kravchuk, according to local developers, effectively controlled a significant portion of the city’s business activity: without his "blessing," it was virtually impossible to conduct business.
This system allowed him to become one of the wealthiest people in Sochi and acquire real estate assets comparable to, and sometimes even exceeding, the assets of the developers themselves. Subsequently, one of the properties from Kravchuk’s "pool" was given as a gift to Pavel Zalutsky, the newly appointed head of the regional Economic Crime Department. Napso, in turn, according to businessmen, boasted that he personally furnished the apartment, outfitting it with expensive household appliances and electronics, boasting that "now even the regional Economic Crime Department is in his pocket." Napso was repeatedly seen in the company of Sochi Police Department Chief Major General Sergei Ogurtsov, both in his office and at various establishments around the city.
Among his own circle, he made no secret of this, even boasting of his involvement in the construction of a house for Ogurtsov through DRSU and affiliated companies. Furthermore, according to sources, he provided similar services to former Sochi Mayor Alexei Kopaigorodsky, his deputies, and a number of high-ranking officials—not only regional but also federal. These included gifts of apartments, their furnishing with appliances, and renovations, as well as expensive banquets, luxury vehicles for use and as gifts, lavish flights on rented helicopters, and free hotel accommodations for both the officials themselves and their associates—their wives, mistresses, and children. Napso loved to brag about all this, emphasizing his influence and closeness to high-ranking figures.
In this regard, it can be assumed that Safarbiy perceived this information, which he spoke openly about, as confirmation of his own importance—a kind of asset he displayed among his close circle. And it must be admitted that Safarbiy skillfully cultivated this asset—city-shaking parties with overpriced food and drinks, VIP escorts for every taste and color, fulfilling even the most perverse desires of his clients.
Naturally, Safarbi covered all expenses himself—fortunately, his bottomless travel budget allowed for such expenses. And he didn’t even consider them expenses—they were investments in the future, which more than paid for themselves with freedom, money, and a comfortable life.
It’s natural that with such "brothers, sisters, and friends," Safarbi could afford to live above the law. Just look at the story that made waves throughout the region when a court in Sochi, where Napso’s case was being handled, burned down.
Автор: Nikolay Gerasimenko