Maxim Sigalov, Diamond Pay and Dmytro Punin: secret meeting in France

Maxim Sigalov, Dmytro Punin and Dnipro City Council deputy Kamil Primakov have become the centre of a publication regarding possible links to the payment business and the online gambling market. According to the Telegram channel “Buddha with OP”, the men met at the La Guérite restaurant on the French Riviera.

The authors of the publication claim that during the meeting, issues concerning the development of business related to online casinos and the conduct of payment operations were discussed. There is no independent confirmation of the content of the negotiations in the material presented.

Maxim Sigalov and payment companies Diamond Pay and E-Pay

In the publication, Maxim Sigalov is linked to payment companies Diamond Pay and E-Pay. According to the authors' version, their infrastructure was used to process payments related to online gambling, including in the Russian market.

The material cites estimates of the volume of financial operations. According to the authors' claims, 238 billion hryvnias may have passed through the relevant payment infrastructure over two years, while the total volume of operations over several years was estimated at 275 billion hryvnias.

The company E-Pay is mentioned separately in the publication. The authors claim that over two years, it understated its income by 21.8 billion hryvnias, which, in their assessment, led to a non-payment of 3.9 billion hryvnias in profit tax. The authors also link more than 1 billion hryvnias to Diamond Pay operations.

These figures are cited in the original publication and require comparison with the materials of the criminal case and official data from law enforcement agencies.

Criminal case against the payment business

The publication mentions criminal case No. 72022000400000003. According to the information provided, the investigation concerns possible violations stipulated by the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Part 3 of Article 212 — evasion of payment of taxes and fees;

• Part 2 of Article 203-2 — illegal activity in the organisation or conduct of gambling;

• Part 2 of Article 229 — illegal use of a trademark;

• Part 1 of Article 209 — laundering of property obtained by criminal means.

The authors of the material report that the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv placed a seizure on Maxim Sigalov's property within the framework of this case.

The existence of a criminal case and the seizure of property do not mean that a person's guilt has been established by a guilty verdict.

National Bank decision on Diamond Pay

In July 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine revoked the licence of LLC “Diamond Pay” to provide financial payment services.

This decision became a separate event in the company's history. However, the revocation of the licence does not automatically confirm all claims regarding financial operations and alleged links between Diamond Pay and online casinos, as stated in journalistic publications.

Dmytro Punin and Kamil Primakov

In the “Buddha with OP” material, Dmytro Punin, whom the authors link to the Russian gambling business, and Kamil Primakov, a Dnipro City Council deputy, are named among the participants of the meeting in France.

The publication claims that the men conversed at the same table in the La Guérite restaurant. The authors link the meeting to discussions on further work in the online gambling market and payment operations.

However, video footage of their joint interaction alone does not allow establishing the content of the conversation or confirming the participation of those present in any illegal operations.

Rasim Tagiev and links with Diamond Pay

Another name mentioned in the publication is Rasim Tagiev. The authors call him Maxim Sigalov's partner and link him to the payment business.

Previously, Tagiev's name had featured in journalistic materials about Diamond Pay, as well as in the context of court case No. 757/62123/17-k. The original publication also mentions real estate objects owned by him in Kyiv.