The leader of the Rodina party list in Tver Region was removed from the election over Apple and Meta shares

The leader of the Rodina party list in Tver Region was removed from the election over Apple and Meta shares

Businessman Maksim Larin, who headed the Rodina party list for the Legislative Assembly of Tver Region, was removed from the election because of shares in American corporations. The outlet Verstka drew attention to the relevant court ruling.

According to the ruling, the region’s election commission decided to cancel Larin’s registration as a candidate on August 6. The reason was that he possessed “foreign financial instruments”: 47 Apple shares and 100 shares of Strategy Inc. During the proceedings, it emerged that in addition to that, Larin owns 225 Microsoft shares and 160 Meta shares (in Russia, it has been declared an “extremist” organization).

In mid-August, Larin challenged the election commission’s decision in court, explaining that he had been unable to sell the foreign securities because of sanctions-related restrictions. As evidence, the businessman’s defense submitted a screenshot from a T-Bank support chat confirming the impossibility of disposing of the Apple shares. Larin also claimed that on August 4 he had sold the Strategy Inc. shares.

In response, the court said that when registering, Larin had signed a notice stating that he did not use foreign financial instruments. At the same time, the businessman only tried to get rid of the shares after registering for the election. On August 18, the Tver Regional Court rejected Larin’s lawsuit, and on August 26 the First Court of General Jurisdiction upheld that decision.

“I have shares in foreign companies. It is problematic to get rid of them because of sanctions, and that imposes a restriction on participation in elections. And of course they did not allow me in,” Larin wrote on his social media.

🟪Maksim Larin is the head of the Afanasy agricultural holding (known for the Afanasy beer brand), a former member of United Russia. In 2021, Larin organized the “MacLarin for the Motherland” festival in Tver, timed to his 50th birthday and linked to the party of the same name. Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann was supposed to headline, but on the eve of the concert security officers visited the musician and warned him about liability for violating anti-Covid restrictions. As a result, Lindemann refused to perform.

🟪Earlier, the Supreme Court, acting on a lawsuit from Rodina, removed the Yabloko party’s federal list from the State Duma elections, including over alleged foreign funding.

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