1st of August, 2016 in Russian Gazette under advertisement rules has been published a call to RAO’s members to organise extraordinary conference, i.e. meeting. For these purposes RAO members were proposed to complete and file some “anonymous ballot paper”. Agenda was simple: to fire Sergey Fedotov, CEO of RAO, his first deputy Vera Fedotova, his mother, dissolution of authors council and dissolution of audit commission.
It was also proposed to form new authors council and audit commission, to appoint an independent auditor for RAO and to reorganise RAO. RAO conducted its own investigation. All necessary information is on the web-site newrao.ru. For participation in voting a letters with personal code have been sent to each member of RAO. RAO has 27000 members; in order to organise a meeting it is necessary to collect about 13500 signatures of meeting participants. For extraordinary meeting it is intended to elect 291 delegates – 1 delegate from 85 RAO members. And the quantity of such delegates rises. More and more authors want and require changes in RAO.
RAO and its management did not wait with reply. First of all, RAO stated about attempt of “raider seizure”. Vera Fedotova has signed letter to Russian minister of justice. Ministry of justice replied brilliant – they have no right to interfere with RAO activity, i.e. extraordinary meeting, and advised to exercise the right to file a suit. RAO also has sent a letter to attorney general. Initiators of extraordinary meeting also have asked Russian ministry of justice to send its representatives to this meeting.
RAO has no information whether its members have received letters inviting to attend extraordinary meeting. RAO called this “invitation” anonymous. But on website newrao.ru it is stated who such “initiators” are. RAO believes such “procedure” (organisation of meeting) violates the current Russian law and RAO’s statute and warns that all decision of such meeting will be null and void. RAO also mentioned that this year Sergey Fedotov has been reelected as CEO for next six years.
Who are such initiators or sympathizers? Vesti has found some of them. Evgeny Kobilyansky, RAO member since 1988, famous composer and producer. He believes RAO’s statement about “raider seizure” is nonsense. “How you can occupy building, stuffed with security means on account of us, authors? The purpose is to make public situation when current management of RAO has discredited themselves and thousands of authors entrusted their rights to this management,”- he said. He underlined that all initiators are RAO members and they have been advised by relevant state authorities prior to organise a meeting.
Igor Mateta – another RAO member since 1980th. “RAO sifted out all disloyal from its conferences.” “For example, there are 7-8 my songs in karaoke repertoire, but I did not receive anything. But I have information, that RAO has received (my) royalties under strange agreements.” Igor Mateta asked RAO about his royalties not once, but without the answer. “I want transparent distribution system; they (RAO) are interested in muddy scheme.” Alexandr Vylih, one of the authors of petition, was more expressive about RAO. “This unfair, thievish agent, worked muddy and nobody understood how collected royalties distributed,” – he said. Besides, he also wants to eliminate so called rating system.
It seems Vera Fedotova resists to Andrey Krichevsky, the second deputy of Sergey Fedotov. Because his resignation is not in agenda. Perhaps for this reason Sergey Fedotov has concluded a deal with enforcement authorities and his lawyer stated that there can be more suspects and witnesses in “RAO case”. Fetodov will be under arrest till 17th of September.