Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 22 signed a decree on temporarily putting Rolf, the country's largest auto dealership, under state management.
According to the decree, Rosimushchestvo -- the Federal State Property Management Agency -- takes control over Rolf, which is owned by a Cyprus-based firm and was founded by Russian businessman Sergei Petrov.
According to the Meduza website, this is the first time the Russian state has taken temporary control over a Russian businessman's company. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on December 22 that the move was economically motivated.
The self-exiled Petrov, a former member of the Russian parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, called Putin's decree a manifestation of "lawlessness" that will negatively affect investments from the company's Asian partners.
The Russian authorities added Petrov to an international most-wanted list in 2019 for allegedly siphoning off 4 billion rubles (almost $44.2 million) out of Russia in 2014.
Petrov, who built the network of imported-car dealerships in Russia, served as a lawmaker between 2007 and 2016 and was one of the few independent-minded deputies in what is widely considered a rubber-stamp body.
Among other things, Petrov voted against a law that banned the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and introduced restrictions for U.S. citizens' trips to Russia.
He also voted against another controversial law that expanded the powers of law enforcement agencies and introduced new requirements for data collection and mandatory deciphering in the telecommunications industry.
Nor did Petrov take part in a parliamentary vote on the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014.
Petrov has denied he illegally moved money offshore. In an interview with RFE/RL in June 2019, Petrov said he believed he and his business were being targeted for political reasons.
