Shabtai Kalmanovich
Shabtai Kalmanovich | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 December 1947 |
| Died | 2 November 2009 (aged 61) |
| Occupation(s) | Business, Art Collector, Promoter, Spy |
| Criminal penalty | 5 years in Israeli prison |
Shabtai Kalmanovich (Hebrew: שבתאי קלמנוביץ', Lithuanian: Šabtajus Kalmanovičius, Russian: Шабтай Генрихович Калманович; 18 December 1947 – November 2, 2009), alternatively spelled Shabtai Kalmanovic,[1] was a KGB spy, who later became known in Russia as a successful businessman, concert promoter and basketball sponsor.
Biography
Born in Kaunas, Soviet Lithuania in 1947,[2] he emigrated to Israel in 1971 and in 1988 was sentenced to seven years in jail for spying for the KGB.[3] He had been active in the Israeli Labor Party, had worked in the government's press office and as a parliamentary aide in the Knesset.[4] According to his indictment, Kalmanovich had handed over information to the Soviets over a period of 17 years. He was released after five years due to medical problems.[4] Before his arrest, he lived and worked for a time in Sierra Leone, where he made a fortune in the diamond trade and worked as a representative for Israel.[5] Before that, he had already become wealthy, through exploiting cheap labour in the South African bantustan of Bophuthatswana, in conjunction with other Israeli, South African and Taiwanese businessmen. In 1987, he was arrested by British Police for allegedly passing over $2 million in forged checks in the United States, and was extradited to the U.S only to be released on bail and allowed to go to Israel. Only after returning to Israel was he charged with espionage on behalf of the USSR. One theory goes, that he was only made a scapegoat for information from Jonathan Pollard that had been willingly shared by Israel with the Soviets in order to secure the release of certain Jewish scientists in the USSR.[6]
After his return to Russia, he promoted concerts for stars such as Michael Jackson, José Carreras and Liza Minnelli.[3][5] Since 1994, Kalmanovich was director general of the large Tishinsky shopping center in Moscow. Kalmanovich was a passionate antique art collector.[citation needed] He also sponsored three basketball clubs (Žalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania, Spartak Moscow and UGMK Yekaterinburg of Russia) and became general manager of the Russian women's basketball team in 2008.[5]
Kalmanovich had close connections with all sorts of Russian businessmen,[citation needed] one of whom, Vyacheslav Ivankov, was killed in Moscow on October 9, 2009.
2009 assassination
On November 2, 2009, Kalmanovich was assassinated by unknown gunmen in a passing Lada Priora vehicle as he was sitting in his car, a Mercedes S500, in Moscow.[2][3][4][5] Moscow police confirmed that he had been the victim of a professional hit.[1] His assassin had waited for his car to stop at a traffic light before shooting. Kalmanovich was hit 10 times[1] and died immediately. Vladimir Markin, of the investigative committee of Russia's procurator, argued that the event was the result of a "contract-style crime" and that the murder was probably "linked to his business activities".[1]
External links
References
- ^ a b c d "Former KGB spy shot dead in Moscow", The Guardian, 03-11-2009 (Retrieved 04-11-2009)
- ^ a b "Shabattai Kalmanovich Dead: Former KGB Spy Killed In Moscow", The Huffington Post, 02-11-2009 (Retrieved 04-11-2009)
- ^ a b c "Ex-KGB spy gunned down in Moscow", BBC News, November 3, 2009 (Retrieved 03-11-2009)
- ^ a b c "Ex-spy Kalmanovich murdered in Moscow", Ynetnews, 02-11-2009 (Retrieved 04-11-2009)
- ^ a b c d "Former KGB spy shot dead in Moscow", Yahoo! News, 02-11-2009 (Retrieved 04-11-2009)
- ^ R. T. Naylor (2001). Economic warfare: sanctions, embargo busting, and their human cost. UPNE. pp. p168. ISBN 9781555534998. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
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