(LONDON, JANUARY 22): SCAM WEBSITES REPORTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR SPREADING RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION.
LEGAL ACTION IS BEING TAKEN BY THE SPECIALIST INVESTMENT FIRM SARN FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION OF A “BASELESS AND ENTIRELY FAKE NEWS” STORY RECENTLY PROPAGATED BY THE FAKE NEWS OUTLETS WWW.TALK-FINANCE.CO.UK AND WWW.LONDONINSIDER.CO.UK UNDER THE HEADLINE: “WEAPONS, MONEY AND SARN: HOW THE CZECH-AMERICAN GROUP EMBEZZLED UKRAINE” PURPORTEDLY WRITTEN BY A MARY DAVENPORT.
SARN AND ITS DEPUTY TO THE CHAIRMAN ARMEN AGAS CATEGORICALLY REJECT THE CLAIMS MADE IN THE ARTICLES WHICH ARE WHOLLY FABRICATED AND REPRESENT A DELIBERATE ACT OF DISINFORMATION.
SARN UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE BEEN TARGETED BECAUSE OF THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK IN UKRAINE DURING THE CONFLICT.
IN RESPONSE TO THE FALSE CLAIMS, SARN INITIATED AN INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY FORENSIC CYBER AND COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS. THE DAMNING FINDINGS REVEAL THAT THESE SITES ARE ENGAGED IN DISSEMINATING MALICIOUS DISINFORMATION UNDER THE COVER OF FAKE NEWS OUTLETS.
FURTHERMORE, THE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDES THAT THE ARTICLES WERE AUTHORED BY NATIVE RUSSIAN SPEAKERS. THE REPORT INDICATES THAT THE OPERATORS OF THESE SITES MAY BE SUPPORTED BY A STATE ACTOR WITH AN OPERATIONAL PRESENCE IN RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
FURTHER DISSEMINATION OF THE DISINFORMATION SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED PRIMARILY THROUGH RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA SITES. SARN BELIEVES THIS CASE CLEARLY ILLUSTRATES HOW THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES ARE MOVING FROM MILITARY AND SECURITY TARGETS TO ATTACKING COMMERCIAL TARGETS.
MARY DAVENPORT, A PURPORTED AUTHOR OF LONDON INSIDER, IS STRONGLY SUSPECTED TO BE A FAKE COVER NAME SINCE NO JOURNALIST WITH PUBLISHED CREDENTIALS OF THAT NAME CAN BE IDENTIFIED.
IN A FURTHER TWIST, A REAL JOURNALIST, CHARLES SIZEMORE, A PURPORTED AUTHOR AT TALK-FINANCE, HAS HAD HIS NAME BESMIRCHED SINCE HE HAS NO ASSOCIATION WITH THE WEBSITE. SIZEMORE VEHEMENTLY DENIES ANY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION OR PUBLICATION OF THE ARTICLE DEFAMING SARN AND ARMEN AGAS.
IN A SWORN STATEMENT, CHARLES SIZEMORE STATED
“I HAVE NEVER CONTRIBUTED AN ARTICLE TO A WEBSITE CALLED TALK FINANCE (HTTPS://WWW.TALK-FINANCE.CO.UK/) AND I DO NOT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH ANYONE AT THIS WEBSITE. I DO NOT CONDUCT INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM RELATED TO FOREIGN POLICY AND HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE ALLEGED EVENTS IN THE ARTICLE. I HAVE NEVER PUBLISHED, RESEARCHED OR AUTHORED ANY ARTICLES ABOUT SARN ENERGY LLC OR ITS MEMBERS. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE MISUSE OF MY NAME AND I WILL COOPERATE WITH SARN, POLICE AND COURTS CONCERNING THE MISUSE OF MY GOOD NAME. I WOULD LIKE THE WEBSITE TAKEN DOWN.”
SARN IS TAKING IMMEDIATE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THESE SITES.
THIS USE OF DISINFORMATION TO SMEAR CORPORATIONS GIVES CREDENCE TO CALLS FOR THE UK PARLIAMENT TO MAKE IT A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO INTENTIONALLY SPREAD DISINFORMATION.
ENGLISH COUNSEL FOR SARN, MARK STEPHENS FROM HOWARD KENNEDY, STATED, "WE ARE SUBMITTING CRIMINAL REPORTS IN RELEVANT JURISDICTIONS. WE ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC TO SHARE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THEY MAY HAVE ABOUT THESE WEBSITES SINCE IT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO COMBAT FAKE NEWS."
U.S. COUNSEL FOR SARN, RYAN BORNEMAN FROM DUANE MORRIS, STATED, "SARN IS ACTIVELY MONITORING FOR ANY ADDITIONAL DEFAMATORY ARTICLES AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PURSUE AVAILABLE CIVIL ACTIONS AS NECESSARY."
ENDS
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: KREAB WORLDWIDE, PRESS@KREAB.COM.
ABOUT SARN:
SARN IS A SPECIALIST FIRM ADVISING AND INVESTING IN DISTRESSED ASSETS IN HIGHLY REGULATED SECTORS, OFFERING A UNIQUE ABILITY TO TACKLE CHALLENGES ARISING FROM REGULATORY, GEOPOLITICAL, AND LEGAL COMPLEXITIES. THE COMPANY IS DEDICATED TO INTEGRATING EASTERN EUROPEAN COMPANIES INTO THE WEST, INSTITUTING AMERICAN PRACTICES. SARN’S SEASONED TEAM EXECUTES TAILORED STRATEGIES WITH PRECISION IN DISTRESSED SITUATIONS NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX LANDSCAPE OF EASTERN EUROPEAN GEOPOLITICS.