Ex-FF TD Lenihan working with oligarch in Moscow

FORMER FIANNA FÁIL TD and minister of state Conor Lenihan has moved to Moscow. Mr Lenihan has an apartment in Moscow, where he advises clients about science and technology.

It is understood Mr Lenihan was introduced by a mutual friend to a Russian billionaire and “oligarch” spearheading the drive to make Moscow one of a leading global centre for innovation and research and development.

Mr Lenihan moved to the Russian capital last April, according to a reliable source, to work for the Skolkovo Foundation, which has a budget of €10 billion to set up an “innovation city” in the Moscow suburbs.

Mr Lenihan’s official title is international adviser to the foundation’s president, Victor Vekselberg, said to be the fourth-wealthiest oligarch in Russia with a personal fortune estimated at €16 billion.

It is understood Mr Lenihan’s role is at the international level, meeting executives of large multinational corporations and encouraging them to locate at the Skolkovo Innovation Centre.

The centre’s aim is to create 20,000 “residencies” for specialists in innovation and RD in the specially designed campus in the Moscow suburbs, attracting both international companies and domestic start-up companies. The latter can access funding of up to €20 million each for their activities.

The international president of the foundation is Craig Barrett of Intel and among the major entities that have agreed to locate work there are Nokia, Siemens, Intel, Dow Chemical, Johnson Johnson and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr Lenihan was introduced to Mr Vekselberg through a mutual friend who had been involved in a lot of investment business with the oligarch. Mr Lenihan’s name was suggested and a meeting was set up with Mr Vekselberg earlier this year.

The former TD for Dublin South West was minister of state for science and technology during the last coalition government. He worked as a journalist and as an executive with billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien’s Communicorp prior to first being elected to the Dáil in 1997.

Mr Lenihan (48) has stated he is not interested in contesting the Dublin West byelection for the seat left vacant by the death of his older brother Brian, the former minister for finance. He has also said in recent weeks that he has left politics and will not be returning to the fray in the short or medium term.

Fianna Fáil held two seats in the constituency of Dublin South West prior to this year’s general election but both its sitting TDs, Mr Lenihan and Charlie O’Connor, were ousted by rivals.