Russian oligarch boasts of becoming shadow owner of Forbes Media Group
Pravda Ukraine
Magomed Musaev, a Kremlin-connected tycoon and owner of Forbes Russia, has told partners that he was behind the purchase of the Forbes Media Group.
Source: The Washington Post, citing sources and five audio recordings and one video recording it obtained, in which Musaev discusses the agreement; RBC, a Russian business media outlet, citing Forbes Russia Development Director Dmitry Ozman
Details: The Washington Post reported that Musaev told his partners in June that he was behind the purchase of the Forbes Media Group; he said it was the deal of a lifetime.
“I just bought global Forbes,” Musaev told one of his associates, according to the material, referring to the Forbes Media Group, which includes the US edition of the magazine.
“You understand when you have in your hands the key to the most authoritative global brand, this key will give me access to anyone,” he said.
Recordings suggest that Musaev repeated this over and over. In the video recording obtained by the Washington Post, Muasev calls tech founder Austin Russell “the face” of the deal and insists that his own involvement be kept quiet.
In a statement to The Post, Russell denied any involvement by Musaev or any Russian individuals in the deal.
“Musaev has no involvement whatsoever in the Forbes transaction. Any suggestion to the contrary is false. There is not a single dollar of capital from any Chinese or Russian citizen or entity, including Musaev,” said a spokesperson for Russell.
Musaev initially told The Post that any suggestion he had control of the deal was “absolute nonsense” and a “monstrous myth” and that “in the [deal] documents, in any written form, my participation is not there.” “He denied he could have told his associates he had bought Forbes, but he did not respond to subsequent requests for comment about the tapes,” The Post added.
In May, Axios cited two unnamed individuals who said that Musaev had brought Russell into the process to acquire Forbes, though it didn’t describe Musaev as an investor or buyer. Two executives familiar with the situation repeated this claim in interviews with The Post.
In a comment to RBC, Forbes Russia Development Director Dmitry Ozman said that Forbes Russia has no information that Musaev acquired Forbes Media Group.
“Among other things I manage the PR of Forbes Russia, and we know nothing about the deal. [Musaev] has not commented on this in personal conversations,” Ozman said.
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