The Kidnapping

- Excuse me, aren’t you Mr. Johansen?
- Yes, that’s right. I am Bernard Johansen, from Norway.
- Good! We have been so looking forward to meeting you!
- Sorry to have kept you waiting. But I myself have been waiting for my luggage for almost an hour and a half.
- Our boss has sent us to pick you up and take you to the hotel.
- Yes, sure, let’s go. May I put my suitcase in the boot? It is way too big to travel in the cabin.
- Up to you. Have you had a good journey?
- Oh, that was OK. Just feel a little sleepy because of the jet lag.
- You can take a nap, if you want to.
- And how long does it take to get to the hotel from here?
- It depends. Sometimes it can take two hours or more, if you get stuck in the traffic. Would you like to pop in a cafe for a snack, perhaps, before we go?
- No thanks, I am not hungry. I would rather take a nap.

- We have been on the way for about two hours now. Where are you taking me? It doesn’t look like Moscow at all. There is nothing but fields and woods around. What’s the name of your boss?
- You are asking too many questions at a time. Just keep quiet and don’t start looking for trouble. You will soon find out. All in good time. But should you choose to make trouble, we will have to tie you up and place in the boot, together with your suitcase.

- Good afternoon, Mr. Johansen. We are glad to welcome you at our country house. I have to apologize to you, because we may have disrupted your plans a little bit.
- I don’t know who you are. I was supposed to visit LUKoil. They were supposed to pick me up and transfer to the Metropol. I have got a meeting with Mr. Alekperov fixed for Monday. Are you aware that you are committing a crime? You have kidnapped me. An international scandal will break out. I’ll go to the European Court.
- Excuse my interrupting you, Mr. Johansen, but you are absolutely right. I mean, you are right in saying that I should have introduced myself, in the first place. Well, my name is Nikolay Petrovich, I am president of Sovkomneft, an independent oil producer. Ours is not a major company, and it is not a well-known one, either. But we enjoy a strong support from some very influential people in the Russian government. And we have a purely commercial offer for you.
- I am sorry, but I wouldn’t like to have anything to do with mafia. There is a good saying on the subject: “You can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink”.
- Mr. Johansen, please be reasonable. We know that you are a very wealthy person and it is not the first time you are in Russia. If you wish to do business here, you should be ready for high risks. But, if we are to continue this conversation using proverbs, whoever doesn’t take risks, doesn’t drink champagne. Or, you cannot make omelet without breaking eggs. Please calm down and don’t get nervous. With us, you have nothing to be afraid of. We can offer you a far better business than LUKoil did. This is just competition, that’s all there is to it.
- What are you talking about? I was to meet Mr. Alekperov despite sanctions, in order to discuss an investment contract with him. I have been studying his company for 3 months. I looked through their financial statements and due diligence reports. How can you expect me to be cooperating with you with my eyes closed?
- Come on, Mr. Johansen! Do not pretend you don’t know the way business is done in Russia. We can guarantee safety and higher dividend on the same investment. I hope, you haven’t forgotten BaikalfinanceGroup? That used to be a tiny company, too, with its legal address at some pub in the town of Tver. But, in the long run, it took an upper hand over such a giant as Yukos.
- And what kind of dividend are we talking about?
- Aha, that’s an altogether different kettle of fish! Now I can see that you are a real businessman and we are going to get on well. May I offer you a cup of coffee?
- Please don’t jump to premature conclusions, Nikolay. I only take well-informed decisions. I must know the rules before the game starts.
- That goes without saying. I completely agree with you. But, can you imagine yourself in my shoes? If you were me, what would you do? If I had just called you and had told you the same, you would have sent me to hell – in a jiffy. And Alekperov is too self-assured, he has always been. He is difficult to negotiate with, so we had to do what we did. I hope, my guys were polite with you?
- Well, on the whole, yes,
- There you go. And LUKoil driver, he even didn’t take the trouble to get his ass out of the car to help you with your luggage. I suggest that we go to our pretty restaurant, have a good lunch and discuss our business in more detail, now that we have touched some common ground.