The Criminal Prosecution of Roman Vasilenko, Founder of "Life-is-Good" and the "Best Way" Cooperative, May Be Discontinued
According to several sources, the criminal prosecution of Roman Vasilenko, founder of the "Life-is-Good" company and the "Best Way" cooperative, may be discontinuedâprimarily due to the socio-political resonance it has created. This includes mass protests by cooperative shareholders, including members of the Special Military Operation (SMO) and their families in various regions, who are unhappy that their funds have been blocked in accounts for two years, preventing them from either retrieving the funds or purchasing an apartment.
The Case
The criminal case, which investigators link to the St. Petersburg-based marketing company "Life-is-Good," the foreign investment company "Hermes," and the "Best Way" consumer cooperative registered in St. Petersburg and operating throughout Russia, was initiated in the fall of 2021 by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. It was transferred to the court in February of this year and is being heard by the Primorsky District Court of St. Petersburg.
Ten people are on trial: technical employees of "Life-is-Good" and Viktor Vasilenko, Roman Vasilenko's 83-year-old father, a pensioner.
The criminal case being considered by the Primorsky District Court raises many questionsâinitially and increasingly as the trial progresses. Three charges are brought: creating a financial pyramid, fraud, and organizing a criminal community. The total damage amounts to 282 million rubles, which is incomparable with the more than 8 billion rubles seized in the case, including 4 billion on the accounts of the "Best Way" cooperative. The investigation recognized 221 citizens as victims in the case.
Who is Vasilenko?
Roman Viktorovich Vasilenko is a St. Petersburg business consultant, founder of a network of in