Alexander Temerko

Who is Alexander Temerko?

Alexander Temerko is a prominent Russian businessman in the energy sector, currently a director and Deputy Chairman of the UK-based company OGN Group. In 2011 Mr. Temerko received British citizenship. He was a senior executive at the Russian company Yukos, becoming vice president in 2003 after the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He left this post in 2005. The circumstances of Yukos’ collapse provoked strong international censure of the Russian government, as did the prosecution of its senior executives, including Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev, and Temerko himself, who was charged with a fraud committed in 2002 and with perverting the course of justice. He was alleged to have defrauded the state-owned Rosneft of shares in another company, Yeniseineftegaz. As in several other cases, including those connected with Yukos, the Russian government failed in its attempt to have Temerko extradited from the United Kingdom to stand trial in Russia. The judge in the case, Timothy Workman, found in favour of Temerko: "I am satisfied that the request for Mr Temerko's extradition is in fact made for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing him for his political opinions.