In this podcast, The Russian Banker, Part 1: The Raid, the hosts explore the story of Sergei Leontiev, a Russian banker whose life takes a dramatic turn when his banking business is confiscated by corrupt officials. They discuss his asylum application, his fall from grace, the raid on his office, his decision to flee Russia, and the credibility of his story. This three-part miniseries reveals the truth behind Sergei's ordeal.
Sergei Leontiev's banking business was seized overnight by corrupt Russian officials, allegedly due to his association with the Pro-Democracy opposition movement in Russia.
The raid on Sergei's bank, orchestrated by the central bank, marked the end of his successful banking career and led to his application for asylum in the United States.
Deep dives
Sergei Leon Tiev's persecution and asylum application
Sergei Leon Tiev, a Russian banker, claims he is being politically prosecuted by the Putin regime due to his association with Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Pro-Democracy opposition movement in Russia. As a result, his banking and financial business, which managed assets worth over $750 million, was seized by corrupt Russian officials. Fleeing to the West, Sergei applied for asylum in the United States, which was granted based on a well-founded fear of persecution in Russia.
The raid and seizure of Sergei's bank
In August 2015, Sergei's bank was raided by paramilitary troops on Russian government orders. The raid, orchestrated by the central bank, claimed to uncover evidence of fraud. Sergei, who was away at the time, tried to maintain the appearance of business as usual from a nearby Starbucks. However, realizing the imminent seizure of his bank, he fled Russia. The raid marked the end of his successful banking career and led to his application for asylum.
Sergei's journey from Soviet childhood to banking entrepreneur
Sergei had an unconventional childhood, straddling between Soviet Russia and European countries due to his father's work for the Soviet foreign ministry. The exposure to the West shaped Sergei's entrepreneurial mindset, leading him to be a non-conformist in the tightly controlled Soviet Union. Eventually, he became involved in various business ventures, including starting a bank in 1993. His bank, Pro-Business Bank, grew to be one of the top 50 banks in Russia until its seizure, which Sergei blames on Putin's regime.
In 2015, Sergei Leontiev's life's work — a Russian banking business — was taken away from him overnight. Why were he and the bank being targeted? This is the first episode of The Russian Banker, a new three-part series from the Financial Times. The remaining episodes will air the following two Wednesdays on Behind the Money.