Deposit Ins. Agency v. Leontiev
| Decision Date | 23 July 2018 |
| Docket Number | 17-MC-00414 (GBD)(SN) |
| Parties | DEPOSIT INSURANCE AGENCY, Petitioner, v. SERGEY LEONTIEV, Movant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York |
The Deposit Insurance Agency (the "DIA"), a Russian governmental bankruptcy receiver, has issued a subpoena ad testificandum and duces tecum pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782 to Sergey Leontiev, the founder and former president of Probusinessbank, a failed Russian commercial bank. Leontiev moves to quash the subpoenas because he contends they violate the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (the "Magnitsky Act") and 28 U.S.C. § 1782. Alternatively, Leontiev seeks reciprocal discovery from the DIA.
The DIA seeks discovery from Leontiev as a nonparty to Probusinessbank's ongoing Russian bankruptcy proceeding. The parties sharply disagree as to that proceeding's legitimacy and purpose. Leontiev maintains that elements within the Russian government forced Probusinessbank into bankruptcy in an effort to expropriate the bank's assets and to punish him for his political independence. The DIA, on the other hand, argues that Leontiev drove the bank to insolvency through off balance sheet lending and other fraudulent transactions. The following facts are taken from the parties' moving papers, affidavits, and exhibits. They are undisputed unless otherwise noted.
Leontiev founded Probusinessbank in 1993 and operated it until 2015. Leontiev Decl. ¶¶ 2-4. During his time at the bank, Leontiev maintained ties to prominent Russian dissidents and the U.S. government. Leontiev Decl. ¶¶ 18-25. In the summer and fall of 2015, the Russian government began to take action against the bank. On August 6, 2015, the Central Bank of Russia (the "Central Bank") issued a prescriptive order against Probusinessbank directing it to make certain operational changes. Khamchich Decl. ¶ 12. On August 7, 2015, the Central Bank appointed the DIA as provisional administrator for Probusinessbank, effectively taking control of the bank away from Leontiev. Monastyrsky Decl. ¶ 4; Khamchich Decl. ¶¶ 13-14. Five days later, the Central Bank withdrew Probusinessbank's license, forcing its assets to be liquidated. Leontiev Decl. ¶ 5.
After assuming the role of temporary receiver, the DIA removed Probusinessbank's access to banking networks. Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 20. Access was temporarily reinstated on August 10, 2015, at which time approximately $9.6 million was transferred to a DIA-affiliated bank. Leontiev Decl. ¶ 11. Leontiev argues that this transfer was evidence of a DIA attempt to loot the bank, citing a news article that described how the DIA was admonished for the transfer; the DIA responds that it was a quickly rectified mistake. Compare Leontiev Decl. ¶ 11, Ex. 5, with Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 20. Leontiev also points out that a primary recipient of Probusinessbank's assets was Binbank, a bank with connections to the Russian government. Aslund Decl. ¶ 15. The DIA responds that Binbank's receipt of these assets was in accordance with Russian procedure and that Binbank had to take on an equivalent amount of Probusinessbank's liabilities, making the transaction a wash. Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 41. On October27, 2015, the Central Bank determined that Probusinessbank was insolvent and placed it in bankruptcy proceedings before the Commercial Arbitrazh Court of Moscow. Monastyrsky Decl. ¶ 6.
Leontiev contends that the Central Bank's actions are politically motivated because both the Central Bank and the bank's external auditor, Deloitte, had recently declared Probusinessbank to be financially viable. Leontiev Decl. ¶ 9, Exs. 1-4. The DIA rejects this notion, responding that the Central Bank's decision was justified because Probusinessbank had repeatedly failed to rectify banking violations. Khamchich Decl. ¶¶ 13-14. It further argues that the opinions expressed by Deloitte and the Central Bank were invalid because Probusinessbank leadership intentionally hid encumbrances on certain assets from their review. Khamchich Decl. ¶ 16. These undisclosed encumbrances were allegedly part of an scheme implemented by Leontiev and other managers to siphon funds from Probusinessbank creditors. Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 32. As support for this embezzlement allegation, the DIA cites the witness statements of two former Probusinessbank employees who had personal knowledge of the operation. Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 19, Exs. 12-14. Leontiev calls into question the integrity of their statements, citing the expert opinion of a Russian criminal attorney who noted that they contained a number of procedural defects. Aminov Decl. ¶¶ 3-16.
The DIA hired Quorum, a Russian law firm, for legal work related to the bankruptcy. Monastyrsky Decl. ¶¶ 9-10. At the time, the chairman of Quorum was an attorney named Andrei Pavlov. Monastyrsky Decl. ¶ 9. Both sides agree that Pavlov's role in a massive Russian tax fraud, known as the Magnitsky Affair, led the United States Congress to sanction him late last year. Aslund Decl. ¶ 22; Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 7. As a result of these sanctions, the DIA contends that Pavlov resigned from his position at Quorum on February 14, 2018, citing an affidavit fromanother Quorum attorney and corporate registration forms that show that he no longer is affiliated with the firm. Zhidchenko Decl. ¶ 7, Exs. 3-4. Leontiev responds that as of March 12, 2018, Pavlov continued to be listed on the Quorum website and Quorum meeting minutes after February 14, 2018, imply that he is still chairman of the board. Suppl. King Decl. ¶¶ 2-4, Exs. 2-4. DIA records also show that it continued to pay Pavlov a retainer for March. Suppl. King Decl. ¶ 6, Ex. 5, p.12.
In addition to the bankruptcy proceeding, Russian criminal authorities have opened an investigation into Leontiev's activities at Probusinessbank. The facts underpinning this investigation are also hotly contested. On December 1, 2015, a senior investigator with the Department for the Investigation of Major Cases of Crimes Against the Government and Financial Crimes declined to open a criminal case against Leontiev for lack of evidence. Monastyrsky Decl. ¶ 22. But after Probusinessbank managers declined to cooperate with the DIA, Leontiev alleges, Russian prosecutors reopened the case. Monastyrsky Decl. ¶ 23-24. The prosecutor leading the case, Victor Grin, is also sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act. Aslund Decl. ¶ 22. The DIA responds that it is unable to influence criminal investigations and that the authorities reopened their investigation only after assessing the full evidentiary record, which was unavailable during their initial investigation. Zhidchenko Decl. ¶¶ 26-29.
On October 26, 2018, the DIA submitted an ex parte petition requesting leave to seek discovery from Leontiev. Judge Daniels granted the petition, allowing the DIA to serve Leontiev with a subpoena ad testificandum and duces tecum. The document portion of the subpoena contains 19 separate requests. They seek documents showing the ownership, management, and transfers of funds into and from approximately 70 different companies; documents related toloans and transfers to certain of these companies, including communications with Alexander Zheleznyak (another Probusinessbank executive); documents showing the participation of Zheleznyak or any of 49 other individuals in an alleged embezzlement scheme; documents related to Probusinessbank loans that were purportedly funneled to Leontiev and Zheleznyak; all documents produced in two other actions, Leontiev v. Varshavksy, No. 16-CV-03595 (JSR), and Avilon Automotive Group v. Leontiev, et al., Index # 656007/2016 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2016).
On January 16, 2018, Leontiev timely moved to quash the subpoena.
"A district court has authority to grant a § 1782 application where: '(1) the person from whom discovery is sought resides (or is found) in the district of the district court to which the application is made, (2) the discovery is for use in a foreign proceeding before a foreign [or international] tribunal, and (3) the application is made by a foreign or international tribunal or any interested person.'" Mees v. Buiter, 793 F.3d 291, 297 (2d Cir. 2015) (quoting Brandi-Dohrn v. IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, 673 F.3d 76, 80 (2d Cir. 2012). Whether discovery is "for use in a foreign proceeding" is afforded broad interpretation. The sought-after evidence need not be admissible, Brandi-Dohrn, 673 F.3d at 82 (2d Cir. 2012), or even discoverable, Intel Corp. v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., 542 U.S. 241, 260 (2004), under the rules of the foreign jurisdiction. Nor does an applicant need to seek the discovery in the foreign proceeding before applying in an American court. Application of Malev Hungarian Airlines, 964 F.2d 97, 100 (2d Cir. 1992). In fact, the foreign proceeding need not even yet be under way, so long as it is "within reasonable contemplation." Intel, 542 U.S. at 259.
An applicant may use § 1782 discovery in other proceedings, just as he or she could in domestic discovery. In re Accent Delight Int'l Ltd., 869 F.3d 121, 135 (2d Cir. 2017). If the petitioner credibly shows, however, that the applicant "'is attempting to use foreign litigation as a ruse for obtaining discovery' for use in other foreign proceedings,'" the court may enter a "protective order prohibiting use of the discovery in other proceedings" or even "deny[] the Section 1782 application altogether." Id. (quoting Glock v. Glock, Inc., 797 F.3d 1002, 1009 (11th Cir. 2015)). But "it is far preferable for a district court to reconcile whatever misgivings it may have about the impact of its participation in the foreign litigation by issuing a closely tailored discovery order rather than by simply denying relief outright." Mees, 793 F.3d at 302 (quoting Euromepa S.A. v. R. Esmerian, Inc., 51 F.3d 1095, 1101 (2d Cir. 1995)). That said, ...
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