Arcadi Gaydamak
Arcadi Gaydamak (also spelled Arkadi Gaydamak, Russian: Аркадий Гайдамак) (born 1952 in Moscow, Russia) is a Israeli (originally Russian) businessman and financier, and member of the wealthy Gaydamak family. His son Alexandre Gaydamak is also a successful businessman. He spent his early childhood in Moscow, before moving to Israel at a young age and later moved to France, where he entered business in the late 1980s. He reportedly holds four passports, being a citizen of Russia, Israel, Canada and Angola <ref> "From Russia with cash", BBC News, January 3, 2006. </ref>.
Angolagate
Gaydamak spent many years in France, but fled the country when an arrest warrant was issued for him. He is wanted on two charges; illegal arms dealing with Angola, and tax evasion. Gaydamak, whose wealth is estimated at anywhere from $800 million to more than $1 billion, lives since 2002 in Moscow and in Israel. His history of financial support to Tsahal, the Israeli army, has allowed him to evade an extradition demand from France in Israel. A. Gaydamak has also acquired the same protection in Russia through his relations with governement officials and powerful social figures in Russia. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, son of the former French President François Mitterrand and arms-dealer Pierre Falcone were also involved in the Angolagate. However, he received the French Ordre National du Mérite, awarded by Jean-Charles Marchiani, close to conservative MP Charles Pasqua, for his role in the liberation of French hostages in Bosnia in 1995 and in Russia in 1998. Gaydamak fled France in 2000 in order to avoid an important fiscal control (500 million Francs) from French authorities.
In Israel he has also been accused of money laundering, but he denied any responsibility and was released.
Football clubs & media ownership
In July 10 2005 he announced on his entrance to the sport businesses and became the sponsor of Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team. After about a month he decided to donate to the Ikhud Bney Sakhnin soccer team 400 thousand dollars. In the same day announced Gaydamak on purchasing 55% from the ownership of Beytar Jerusalem and after two days he announced on purchasing the full ownership of the team. Gaydamak is also the patron of several Jewish charities, and is president of the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities and Organizations of Russia, (KEROOR), Russia's oldest religious Jewish umbrella group.
In March 2006, he announced his offer to buy French newspaper France Soir via his company Moscow News <ref> "Arcadi Gaydamak annonce avoir racheté 'France Soir' (Arcadi Gaydamak announce having bought back 'France Soir')", Le Monde, March 14, 2006. </ref>. He had already bought the Russian Moskovskie Novosti newspaper in 2004.
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