Sheriff (company)
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Sheriff (in Cyrillic: Шериф) is the second-largest company based in Transnistria.
It owns a chain of petrol stations, a chain of supermarkets, a TV channel, a publishing house, a construction company, a Mercedes-Benz dealer, an advertising agency, a spirits factory, two bread factories, a mobile phone network, the football club FC Sheriff Tiraspol and its newly built Sheriff Stadium at an estimated cost of $200 million[1] including a five-star hotel still under construction.
The name came from the two founders of the company, the Ukrainian-Transnistrian CEO and president Viktor Gushan and Russo-Transnistrian Ilya Kazmaly, who were previously Soviet special services officers[2]. They were involved in the arrest of Ilie Ilaşcu group[3].
The company supported the government of president Igor Smirnov. According to an article in Kommersant, it received a reduction on taxes and import duties when the customs service was headed by Vladimir Smirnov, the president's son.[4] In recent years, Sheriff developed ties with Renewal, a political party which holds a parliamentary majority, with Ilya Kazmaly and the company's human resources director, Ilona Tyuryaeva, both being Renewal-deputies.[5]. Another leader of Sheriff is Oleg Smirnov, president's son and MP for "Pathriotic Party of Pridnestrovie"[6][7].