For a small gratitude (apparently $50 gift card) YMCA settlement counselor Yana Skybin will guide you through the process of obtaining social housing on a high priority basis avoiding all waiting lists. You’ll get your new apartment in just a couple of weeks. It’s illegal, but don’t worry: YMCA protects you at all levels.
Mystery. 1st nothing never, then vase, then chocolates, then ended up with $50 gift card. But Alla testifies that they never gave Yana any gift card. So what was that, so “precious” or “valuable”?
Oral Examination – Yana Skybin, p.90
Q512: Did you ever receive any gifts or any money from Nikityuks?
A: I did receive small gifts. I did not receive money from Nikityuks.
Q513: When did you receive small gifts?
A: When they came to my birthday there was a collective gift with other people; and they brought chocolates to the office which I shared with everybody in the office.There was one time when Alla brought a small vase. Mostly chocolates.
Q514-515: How chocolates can be precious? Email 17, line 2 – thank you that you came as well for your precious gift.
A: That wasn’t chocolates.
Q516-518: It was precious vase? They brought you precious gift and you said it was chocolates or small vase?
A: There was a collective gift and I thanked everybody who came to my birthday party.
Q519-522: And that was a big box of chocolates?
A: No it was a gift card.
Q523: For how much was the gift card?
A: I don’t remember the exact amount but I was grateful that people put it together.
2009-2011 Email correspondence between family and Yana Skybin in Russian #17
Q524: But email addressed to Alla and Valentin “Let me express profound gratitude that you have come as well as for your precious gift. You are very generous persons. Thank you very much”
A: I expressed my appreciation that they came and they contributed towards the gift
Q526: That was a gift card and you don’t know what amount was?
A: Collective gift card, yes, and it was $50
Can she be more evasive? “You are very generous persons” to express gratitude for a collective $50 gift card? Seems like Nikityuks’ share would be $10 or so. Why didn’t she send those “profound gratitude” emails to the other attendees of her party? I don’t buy it.
Do you, your Honor?
Examination at the Trial, v.4 – Alla (in chief), p.1182-1183
Q. Now, you testified that you went to Yana’s birthday? Did you bring any birthday gift?
A. Yes.
Q. What?
A. Something that would from a China, I can’t remember, vase?
Q. Anything else?
A. No.
Q. Was there a gift card?
A. There was occasions we would collect as a group collectively, that’s how – they never gave a card.
Q. What there a gift card at Yana’s birthday?
A. No, no gift card, no.
Q. Did you ever contribute to a communal gift card?
A. Yes, that happened. It was a share, it was – here to understand they bought the gift card to collect the money and then buy a gift, yes, that’s how we do.
Q. Do you remember Yana Skybin sending you a thank you email for the birthday gift?
A. Yes, yes.
Q. Do you remember Yana thanking you for the precious gift?
A. A precious gift, I don’t know, we could collect all together and give it as a gift. Our share was there.
Q. Was this – this is the share and vase, or are you remembering now that there was a gift card?
A. I don’t know about the gift card.
(Bornmann cross-exams his own witness, and Alla annoyed). So it wasn’t gift card. What the hell was it then? Whatever, but what’s important is that it’s good enough, and 2 days later they start all this stinky “abuse in family” procedure and obtaining the social housing on high priority basis. In my opinion, common definition for this mysterious “precious gift” is bribery.