Sheriff (company)
Sheriff (Cyrillic Шериф; Serif also ) is the largest enterprise in Transnistria. Sherrif was founded in June 1993 by Viktor Guschan and Ilya Kasmaly and got its name claims to be based on the previous activity of the company founders as a police officer.
Sheriff is now active in many areas of the Transnistrian private sector and has given its economic power greater influence on Transnistrian politics.
Some sources claimed that the company belonged in reality the former Transnistrian president Igor Smirnov, and serve primarily for the purpose of money laundering.
At the sheriff's group includes, among others, also the spirits producer Kvint and the telecommunications company Interdnestrkom.
Business
Sheriff has a chain of gas stations, a supermarket chain, the TV station TSW, a publishing house, a housing association, operates since 1999 the Transnistrian Mercedes- Benz headquarters, the advertising agency Ekskljusiv, the liqueur factory Kvint, two bakeries and the only mobile operator Transnistria InterDnestrCom. The founders of the group also includes the internationally known football club FC Sheriff Tiraspol, which for 200 million U.S. dollars newly built stadium is again operated with integrated luxury hotel of sheriff. Sheriff Tiraspol also holds as operator of casinos in fact the gambling monopoly in Transnistria and is about corporate investments in the banking sector active.
The holding company of the company trades as ЗАО, which can be translated as " Closed Joint Stock Company " and is roughly equivalent to a German GmbH. Figures for profits and sales have not been published, which claims to Sheriff currently employs a total of around 12,500 people, the majority of them in the food and beverage production. Nationally, 13 supermarkets and shopping centers and 10 service stations are currently operated (figures for 2006). Substituting these numbers with the comparatively small population of Transnistria (2004: 555 347 ) in relation explains, at least statistically the dominant position of sheriff for the Transnistrian economy.
Political Relations
The extensive international isolation of Transnistria favored the development sheriffs become the dominant company of the "state " and its monopoly in many areas of economics. There was ( at least temporarily ) the Company granted a mutual dependency between President Igor Smirnov and Sheriff, in which the company supported the policy of the government financially and the government in return far-reaching tax and customs incentives. It seems remarkable in this context, especially, that the customs authority is the son of the president, Vladimir Smirnov, directed, is the also said to have a financial interest in the company.
Subsequently, however, the unresolved status of Transnistria had a negative effect on the growth of Sheriff - group, so that the company began to support the party, " renewal", founded in 2000, mainly for next to the goal of independence of Transnistria, the using business interests. Meanwhile, both the Sheriff founder Kazmaly as well as the personnel manager Ilona Tjurjajewa are parliamentary deputy for the Party "renewal". Oleg Smirnov, another son of the president and also a member of parliament, is in turn a member of the corporate management of the sheriff.
Aided by the control of the Transnistrian mobile network and the television station TSW Sheriff could expand its influence on the policy of the state on. Supported by his party "renewal" finally won the parliamentary elections in 2005, 23 of the 43 seats and thus the absolute majority. As a result of the electoral victory of the long-standing parliamentary president Grigori MARAKUTSA was replaced by Yevgeny Shevchuk, the sheriff's near- chairman of the party renewal.
Fearing a loss of power then President Smirnov and Shevchuk sheriff accused of preparing a coup. Claimed was sheriff pursuing the reconnection of Transnistria in Moldova and got assured of this by the parent or neighbor, far-reaching economic benefits. The allegations were vigorously denied by Sheriff and reaffirms its own interests in a political independence of Transnistria in this context. In the public -run debate between Sheriff and Smirnov Smirnov finally received the support of the Russian government.