"Guga Richi": thief-in-law Sergo Glonti founded a company in the Czech Republic

"Guga Richi": thief-in-law Sergo Glonti founded a company in the Czech Republic

51-year-old native of Georgia Sergo Glonti, known by the status of so-called "thief-in-law" by the nickname "Guga," founded his own company in the Czech Republic called "Richi company s.r.o." Information about this is contained in the country’s open registers.

According to them, at the beginning of 2022 year "Guga" officially registered a firm with a charter capital of 20 thousand Czech crowns (the equivalent of a sum of just over 900 dollars) with one of Prague’s notaries. The specialty of "Richi company s.r.o." is listed as services during intermediary operations, as well as wholesale and retail trade.

The company, of which the founder/beneficiary is the thief-in-law "Guga," is registered and rents an office in a building in the heart of Prague’s commercial and business center, near the National Museum and Wenceslas Square.

(Sergo Glonti)

As follows from the notarial records, six months after founding "Richi company s.r.o.," Glonti introduced Ukrainian citizen Andriy Sotulenko into its management team. In our country Sotulenko acted as beneficiary/owner of companies such as LLC "Avtoshyna-tsentr" and LLC "Prosto robota." In informal circles and among informed interlocutors of Detective-Info, Sotulenko is considered one of "Guga"’s confidants from the inner circle of the criminal general’s entourage in Ukrainian territories.

At the same time, the fact of Glonti’s official registration as a legal businessman is another indirect confirmation not only of the thief-in-law’s residence in Prague, but also of his holding a residence permit in the Czech Republic. Note: the legalization of "Guga" in the EU country was not prevented by the fact that in 2012 year that country’s law enforcement authorities initiated the placement of an alert regarding the dignitary based on a check of Sergo Semenovich in connection with involvement in the activities of a powerful organized criminal group.

It is known that alerts of a similar nature regarding Glonti were repeatedly issued by law enforcement in other states, among them Hungary and Georgia. At the same time, a large part of his life "Guga," who was initiated into the elite of the criminal world in 1995 year in Moscow’s Butyrka pretrial detention center, devoted to Ukraine.

According to Detective-Info sources, domestic law enforcement’s first "substantive" acquaintance with the dignitary dates to 2004 year and concerned his appearance in Odesa. Ultimately, the "thief-in-law" began to be "spun" in a drug case, as a result of which in 2008 year the Prymorsky District Court of the Southern Palmyra "awarded" Sergo Glonti his first "Ukrainian conviction" (the verdict did not involve imprisonment). At that time "Guga" began actively "shuttling" between Odesa and Kyiv, where he was processed on documents in the name of Serhiy Davidov for minor hooliganism (after which he was deported).

The case concerning the criminal general’s use of forged documents in the name of a Zhytomyr resident "Davidov" in relation to Glonti was resumed (he was declared wanted) in 2010 year, when law enforcement received information about "Guga"’s return to Ukraine. It is known that this proceeding was eventually closed by an Odesa court in the summer of 2011 year.

Six months later the "thief-in-law" (who in the summer of 2007 year renounced Georgian citizenship) for the first time petitioned domestic authorities for permission to immigrate as a stateless person. His petition was denied, but that did not stop the dignitary from attempting to settle in Ukraine even illegally, especially amid political upheavals and a change of power in our country.

A vivid confirmation of this is the fact of "Guga"’s arrest (in the company of fellow members Mindia Horadze and Varlam Kukhianidze) at the end of October 2014 year in the capital’s restaurant "Atmosphere" on the premises of the Premier Palace.

As a result of that meeting Glonti (together with "Mindia Lavasogli") spent a month at the Chernihiv pretrial detention center, and at the beginning of the next year he took part in the legendary "gathering" attended by the most respected representatives of the criminal elite, which took place on 6 January 2015 year in Armenia near Lake Sivaš.

At that time "Guga" was considered one of the most influential "thieves-in-law" in Ukraine among representatives of the "Sukhumi clan." His sphere of control included "Kyiv assignments" of members of ethnic bandit groups, smugglers’ exploits in Zakarpattia, and also commercial representation in the Port of Odesa.

At the same time the dignitary became significantly active in attempts to redistribute criminal influence within the penitentiary service institutions. This concerns conflicts with thieves-in-law Oleksiy Salnikov ("Lyokha Krasnodonsky") and Omar Bekayev ("Omar Ufimsky") over the appointment of new "watchers" for the Odesa and Luhansk pretrial detention centers around 2014 year, involvement in organizing the "stir" around Berdyansk correctional colony No. 77 (in 2015 year).

It is believed that then "Guga," in advancing the "Sukhumi clan"’s interests in our country, sided with his most influential Ukrainian-origin colleagues — in particular, "Lyora Sumskyi" (Serhiy Lysenko) and "Nedelya" (Andriy Nedzelsky). However later a rift developed between "Lvivsky" and Glonti, whom gossipers began accusing of fruitful cooperation with domestic law enforcement.

The apogee of the conflict between former friends occurred in the fall of 2019 year (when "Guga" joined the list of Nedzelsky’s opponents during the settling of scores among representatives of the highest caste of the criminal world at the Fairmont hotel during the so-called "Moldavanka at the wedding of 'Bakinsky' "). At that time Glonti had already relocated to the Czech Republic via Hungary.

A precondition for such relocation of the Tbilisi native was his being declared internationally wanted for using forged documents in Europe in the name of Laszlo Lipey. In June of 2016 year in connection with this case the criminal general was apprehended in one of Kyiv’s restaurants and taken to Lukyanivka pretrial detention center.

However, by the end of July 2016 year the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of the capital ordered "Guga" released from custody on bail in the amount of 27,5 thousand hryvnias.

After that the thief-in-law "disappeared from the radars" and was located by law enforcement in Odesa almost a year later — in May 2017.

According to Detective-Info sources, at that time Glonti, in order to protect himself from extradition, officially applied to Odesa migration authorities for an extension of his stay in Ukraine. However, his application was left without consideration because officials acted in advance: as early as 9 May 2017 year the Main Department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine in Odesa region decided to return the "thief-in-law" to his country of origin.

Note that neither then nor later did "Guga" appear in Georgia. Instead, against the backdrop of the dignitary’s bureaucratic disputes with Ukrainian officials, the criminal general’s lawyer filed a report with the Pechersky police department alleging the alleged abduction of Sergo Semenovich in the Pechersky district of Kyiv. According to the lawyer’s claims, at about 20 hour on 4 July 2017 year Glonti was "packed" by unknown persons with Kalashnikovs and "SBU" armbands near the restaurant "Saperavi."

As was later established, within a day "Guga" crossed the border toward Hungary through the Chop-Tysa checkpoint. Local law enforcement questioned him and placed him in a deportation center. De jure on Ukrainian territory the "thief-in-law" was considered missing for a year.

However, that did not prevent representatives of the criminal general’s interests from beginning in September 2017 year a years-long dispute regarding recognition of illegal the verdicts about his expulsion and forced return from Ukraine. As was previously reported on the pages of Detective-Info, this concerns a document dated 5 July 2017 year issued by then-deputy head of the 5 directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine’s Directorate of Internal Security Aleksandr Poklad (and approved by the 1 deputy head of the SBU Vitaliy Malikov), as well as a decision dated 9 May 2017 year signed by the chief specialist of the department for organizing prevention of illegal migration, readmission and expulsions of the Main Department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine in Odesa region Bohdan Monastyrskyi.

Note: despite certain interim successes of Glonti’s lawyers in this area, at the beginning of June 2011 year Pechersky District Court judge Vitaliy Pysanets ultimately denied "Guga"’s lawsuit. The reasoning the jurist used when issuing his decision will remain secret — in the fall of 2021 year Pysanets died. By that time Sergo Glonti was already enjoying life in Prague with a residence permit in the Czech Republic. Four months later he registered the firm "Richi company s.r.o.".

detective-info.com.ua