Gazprombank Alexander Schmidt accident

Alexander Schmidt (left) and 2 years old Sasha (right) hit by his car

“Gazprombank” demanded from police investigation department to start the criminal proceedings against few Russian bloggers. The bloggers are incriminated with publishing (and distributing) the information about the bank’s top manager Alexander Schmidt who allegedly knocked a child with his car and drove away without providing any help.

Initial report about the involvement of Alexander Schmidt in the accident

Translated from http://robenkova.livejournal.com/270171.html:

On April 22 in Novogorsk, a two and a half years old boy Sasha was hit by a car on the pedestrian crossing. He was crossing the road with his mother.

The car Mercedes-Benz S-Class was carrying Alexander Schmidt, First Vice-President of Gazprombank, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Banking and Finance, Moscow State Law Academy.

The driver of Schmidt gave his version of what happened to the investigator: “I just drove and the child himself fell down near the car. We stopped to see if everything was OK. Mother thanked me and said that they didn’t need help.“

The boy’s mother says:
- When it happened, the driver got out and wanted to approach Sasha, who was crying loudly. At this point, AlexanderSchmidt rolled down the window and said: “Leave them alone, let’s go.”

Afterwards, our heroes left the distraught mother and child.
The boy was taken by ambulance. Ultrasound revealed a kidney rupture and hemorrhage.

On May 4th the case was submitted to the court. Schmidt’s driver, Oleg Alexeyev, was charged under Article 12.27 of the Administrative Code, “Failure to comply with responsibilities related to a traffic accident.”

Representatives of Alexander Schmidt attempted to “negotiate” (I guess –  bluntly give money) with the boy’s parents but they refused.

<…>

If you travel in a car, or cross the road when the traffic light is green, or simply stand at a bus stop – be ready that you and your family might be maimed or killed.

And it won’t be just an accident. Newspapers will write about it and TV will report the case.

But be ready that even if you are maimed or killed, the killer will not be jailed despite the public outcry.

Because, by coincidence, the killer will be a top manager of major corporation or wife of the Minister of Interior Affairs or some official’s insane driver.

Alexander Schmidt strikes back

Svetlana Robenkova who wrote the post (excerpts from which are translated above) in her LiveJournal blog became the target of Gazprombank’s legal department. The bank’s lawyers asked the Investigation Department to initiate the criminal investigation against her and 9 other bloggers who republished the post in their blogs.

Below is the scan of the second page of the letter written by Gazprombank and sent to the Investigation Department.

Alexander Schmidt against Svetlana Robenkova

Translation of the outlined sections:

1) [ URL addresses of the blogs which republished the original post written by Svetlana Robenkova ]

2) The author’s actions described above are not in the frame of healthy criticism; they use ideological reasoning in relation to certain social strata of the population and do not have the social-scientific character of [proper] debate.

3) … increases social tension in Russia, creates negative stereotype about the top management of large Russian corporations and can impact the consciousness and behavior of our country’s citizens.

4)  Thus, author’s actions question the fact that the public policy of our country is based on the principle of legality; and they are able to create the wrong picture of our country on the international political and legal arena.

Comments of Russian netizens

And now – before you say your opinion about this story – let’s read the comments and reactions of Russian netizens.

Berendei:  Actually, the driver who fled the accident should be prosecuted, and the banker as his accomplice …

Yache:  What the hell, this guy completely lost the “direction”… fled from the traffic accident place and now demands the criminal case…

koffboy (replying to the comment above):  This is Russia, baby.

skrt:  Attack is the best means of defense. Unfortunately, Gazprombank has more than enough resources to succeed…

Stas911:  I hope that this is hoax, because if it is not – it means that Gazprom employs morons.

Instead of contacting the parents and
1) conducting the diagnosis and treatment of the child in the best hospital
2) sending them for vacation on the company’s account
3) paying some money in exchange for “I have no complaints”

they with their own hands pour a HUGE POOL OF SHIT on the image of their company and its top management. After that their Head of PR can only shoot himself…

Netto:  Gazprombank will suck – Live Journal is not acknowledged as media.

Nonna:  Could it be fake? I hardly believe that Gazprom can have such illiterate employees…

Alex B:  Alexander Schmidt is a stinking bastard.

Vika-5434:  ”Himself fell near the car”, and ruptured the kidney… WTF!

danilsh:  They themselves ask for revolt. But then they will be dragged out of their cars by hair and shot on the spot. Idiots!

semen_sk:  In such case I also will republish (the post).

honeyman:  Excellent example of the Streisand effect.

nanodirigible: At such pace Gazprombank will soon replace the Kremlin, the Duma and other obsolete relics of the past…
And after the employees of Gazprom put in prison the million-th blogger – then, my dear friends, you will understand what a cool guy Joseph Stalin was.

kuntsevsky:  Do I understand correctly that the main idea [of their letter] is that the blogger is stirring up [social] hatred? =) There is not a word about defamation =)
And he just knocked a child, what a big deal =) and drove away – so what… he was late =)
But she! She wrote about it in harsh and insulting manner in the mass media called Internet… That’s too much… =)

roaming_stef:  Little by little, dark times are coming by…

ln1:  The essence of this three-page document [ed: Gazprombank's letter had 3 pages] can be reduced to one sentence: slaves must know their place and not talk against the masters.

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