Code of Silence

Code of Silence - Chapter 11

It was a bitterly cold January morning in central Moscow, snow lined the perimeter of every concrete surface, neatly manicured and packed to the side to reveal a cold dry greyness. Tony stepped out of his cosy hotel into the brittle air, clapped his gloved hands together in series of muffled thuds that offered little warmth, and made his way swiftly to the car that was waiting to whisk him off to the Varkasoft offices. His mind was now completely focussed on business, and the work he wanted to complete before finally stepping down from Varkasoft.

As the sale had taken shape, it had become clear to Tony that the investors who were prepared to back the deal were also powerful people. For Radoslav to do the Varkasoft deal using their money he'd had to allow them to have their say in the process, or it wouldn't have happened at all. Much of the multi-million dollar funding was being invested on behalf of others, so it was critical that the transaction was clean, and that there were no surprises that could come back and haunt them. Radoslav had, on the face of it, tried to make sure that all potential issues, no matter how small, were known about, but the one thing Tony remained unsure of was the role played by Anatoly Dragovich.

At the Varkasoft offices across town, Radoslav stood at the picture window in the executive suite looking out over the frozen grey city. His mind was on Dragovich, too. It had been in the early stages of setting up Ekranotech when he had first met Dragovich, introduced at a social gathering by a mutual contact. Anatoly Dragovich was known as a fixer. Someone who got things done despite the well-known difficulties and complications of the Russian state system. He was instrumental in clearing blockages where Radoslav had reached a dead end, seeming to know which people to approach, what sort of solutions to try, and ultimately made sure that things happened. He'd become involved with Ekranotech within months of its inception, and eventually was hired by Radoslav as an Operations Officer, although Dragovich declined to have a business card confirming this. Dragovich simply got the job done, and Radoslav asked very few questions as he wrestled to control the rapid growth of his business over the coming years.

Around the time Radoslav decided that he wanted to fund the Varkasoft takeover with investor's money rather than his own, he began to look a little more closely at the areas where he felt there might be some risk. Dragovich's activities naturally fell under his spotlight. For several years he'd relied on having the ability to 'unleash the Dragovich' as he joked, knowing the results would be quickly achieved. Now he was regretting having turned a blind eye to it all.

The problem was, that as an early employee Dragovich had been granted an Ekranotech shareholding, so simply getting rid of him wasn't going to be easy, or cheap. He would be an expensive problem to solve and that would raise questions with the investors. And, of course, Dragovich also knew a lot – too much – about how Ekranotech had navigated parts of the Russian state commercial minefield. Radoslav discussed the problem with his advisers, and it was suggested that Dragovich's shares be diluted to a lower level of shareholding. That way he'd still be able to benefit from the deal, which might placate him, and it wouldn't cost Radoslav as much to get rid of him. When the investors ploughed money into the new venture, Dragovich could also be quietly moved aside, and eventually out of the business with his payoff.

This seemed like the solution to the problem, but Radoslav was going to have to sort this one out himself. Knowing that it wouldn't go down well with Dragovich, the bank decided to step in to help see it through, ensuring Radoslav stayed clear of any boardroom battles. Sure enough, Dragovich was furious on discovering his fate, but he'd been persuaded to stick around to show solidarity, with the intention that after the deal had completed he would leave, together with his payoff. It was not as much as he might have gained in future years as the business prospered, it was still a decent slice.

Radoslav had met with Tony at his Moscow hotel the day before, just after he had arrived in Russia, with the news that the priority was for Tony to manage the changeover and oversee Dragovich's departure. He needed Tony to learn about anything Dragovich was currently working on before confirming that his services were no longer required, and then to ultimately show him the door. Radoslav was confident that Tony was unaware of the murkier side of Ekranotech and the history between himself and Dragovich, and would treat his task simply as an executive reshuffle, something he'd carried out many times before and one that would have to be handled sensitively yet firmly.