Arkady Dvorkovich: I Will Take All Possible Legal Measures to Protect My Reputation and Good Name
Open letter of FIDE presidential candidate.
Dear friends,
In connection with the continuing campaign of total lies and inconsistencies on the part of Mr. Makropoulos, we believe that it is in the public interest to know the full facts about the complaint lodged by him with respect to an alleged financial offer made to the Serbian Chess Federation to change its delegate.
1. The complaint of Mr. Makropoulos is based on the written statement of the former delegate from Serbia, Mr. Urošević. The fact is that Mr. Urošević did not witness any events that he claims to, but merely states that he knows this information "by hearsay" without naming any sources of his knowledge.
2. At the same time, Mr. Urošević is a very partial witness who has supported Mr. Makropoulos for many years, and has regularly received invitations to work at the important chess events and other informal benefits in exchange for such a support.
3. It is also of an utmost importance that the Serbian Chess Federation has been trying to remove Mr. Urošević from his position as delegate from December 2016 (!). But for a long time this change of delegate was not accepted by FIDE because of the personal opposition from Mr. Makropoulos. This is easy to prove, for example, by an appeal to the public from the Serbian Chess Federation, posted back in 2017, which can be publicly accessed.
4. In addition to the above written statements, Mr. Makropoulos refers to a sponsorship contract concluded in August 2018 between the Serbian Chess Federation and an academic institution in Belgrade, with close links to the President of the federation Mr. Cogoljevic. This contract has nothing to do with Mr. Dvorkovich and should on the contrary be seen as an achievement of Mr Cogoljevic who convinced a local sponsor to provide financial assistance to the Serbian Chess Federation.
5. Let me emphasize once again that Mr. Makropoulos's complaint does not contain any evidence of the so-called "sponsorship in exchange for a delegate change."
6. I also consider that it is my duty to inform the public that I will take all possible legal measures to protect my reputation and good name. First of all, in the very near future I will file a complaint with the Ethics Commission regarding the actions and allegations of Mr. Makropoulos and Mr. Urošević, as they clearly violate clause 2.2.11 of the Code of Ethics – “Any conduct likely to injure or discredit the reputation of FIDE, its events, organizers, participants, sponsors or that will enhance the goodwill which attaches to the same”.
7. I also instructed lawyers from Switzerland, Greece and Serbia to examine all legal possibilities for filing a claim for the protection of my name in a civil court, and to consider the possibility of instituting a criminal case in court.
8. Nevertheless I am completely calm for the possible decision of the Ethics Commission, because I am confident in the high integrity and professionalism of all its members and see no other solution than my full justification.
