The sale of Saab to Spyker has been officially been approved by GM thanks for Spyker following certain stipulations, some of which were a bit odd. Case in point, the reported request that chairman Vladamir Antonov be removed from Spyker.
It was originally thought that this request was made so that GM technology wouldn’t fall into Russian hands, but the true nature of the request was due to Antonov’s alleged ties to the Russian mafia.
Antonov agreed to step down, but he is now speaking out as to the reasons surrounding his role in the deal. And he still wants to be a part of it.
Could this cause enough friction to make the deal fall apart?
In an op-ed piece published in the New York Times, Antonov claims his innocence in any dealings with the Russian mafia and insists that the findings from the Swedish government that implicate him are “surreal allegations”. He has even hired a team of private investigators to help clear his name.
Although he is no longer the chairman at Spyker, he is still a lender. His $100 million helped Spyker to acquire Saab in the first place, not to mention his agreement to step down from his position. So, naturally, Antonov feels as though he is entitled to a piece of this new proverbial Swedish-Dutch pie.
The deal itself is already done but this will definitely cause some friction with both Swedish and U.S governments. He’ll have to try to get past them in order to truly play a role in newly acquired brand.
Good luck.
Read Antonov’s full op-ed here.
