Alexander Skorobogatko

In January, with partner (and fellow billionaire) Alexander Ponomarenko, sold stake in NMTP, the biggest port in Russia, to state-owned Transneft and its affiliate Summa Capital, earning $1 billion each. Graduate of Slavyansk State Pedagogical Institute founded Russian General Bank with Ponomarenko, which served the Novorossiysk Sea Trading Port. After the 1998 crisis the partners began buying up shares in stevedoring companies that were working at the port and combined them to form one holding company. The firm, Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, went public in 2007, resulting in a windfall of $1 billion for the partners. In 2008 the partners sold 20% of their holding to Arkady Rotenberg, a powerful businessman who does judo with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Since 2002 Skorobogatko has served as an elected deputy, barring him from participating in the business.