Bonum Certa Men Certa

From Belarus With Love — Part IV: “Software from Minsk” via Gilching and Rijswijk

Series parts:

  1. From Belarus With Love — Part I: Schizophrenic EPO Policy
  2. From Belarus With Love — Part II: “Techwashing” an Autocratic Regime?
  3. told
  4. YOU ARE HERE“Software from Minsk” via Gilching and Rijswijk


Organisational structure of SaM Group
The organisational structure of the SaM group.



Summary: The story of how EPO 'hooked up' with Belarus (Team Battistelli arranged for contracts through shadowy proxies), later resulting in the illegal outsourcing of EPO operations to Microsoft, which relies on a lot of corruption going unnoticed and/or unpunished

As we mentioned in the opening article of this series, SaM stands for "Software aus Minsk", a German moniker meaning "Software from Minsk".

But as one of the company's founders, Andrej Bakhirev, told Wirtschaftswoche back in 2011:



"It's important to our customers that they work with a German company rather than a Belarusian one."


Management of SaM Group
The management of the SaM group led by Chairman Andrei Bakhirev and CEO Pavel Khovrenkov.



"Despite being officially headquartered in Gilching in Bavaria most of the company's employees actually work at the company's main "delivery center", located at 15 Filimonova Street in Minsk, close to the Belarus High Technologies Park (HTP)."So it is not surprising that the "corporate headquarters" of the SaM group is in Gilching, a provincial Bavarian village, located within the functional urban area of Munich.

The current address of the company's HQ is listed on its website as Römerstrasse 32 in Gilching.

According to the company register in Germany, SaM Holding GmbH was previously registered under the number HRB 118260 with the following address:

Am Bahnhof 4a, 82205 München - West (Gilching).


Gilching's SaM group
The corporate HQ of the SaM group used to be located in a building beside the train station in Gilching, near the Bavarian capital Munich. The HQ recently relocated to a new address in Gilching at Römerstrasse 32.



Despite being officially headquartered in Gilching in Bavaria most of the company's employees actually work at the company's main "delivery center", located at 15 Filimonova Street in Minsk, close to the Belarus High Technologies Park (HTP).

SaM Solutions in Minsk
SaM Solutions "delivery center" at 15 Filimonova Street in Minsk.



Although SaM's "delivery center" is not directly located on the grounds of the HTP, the company has been registered as a "HTP resident" since 2006 and consequently it benefits from the HTP's special "exterritorial" tax regime.

"Although SaM's "delivery center" is not directly located on the grounds of the HTP, the company has been registered as a "HTP resident" since 2006 and consequently it benefits from the HTP's special "exterritorial" tax regime."Because the EPO's core in-house data processing facilities are mostly located in its Netherlands branch office in Rijswijk, SaM's Dutch subsidiary - SaM Solutions BV - has played a key role in the group's EPO-related business.

As far as is known, project manager responsible for this area of SaM's activities is a guy by the name of Alexander Khval.

Alexander Khval
Alexander Khval, reputed to be the project manager responsible for SaM's EPO-related activities in the Netherlands



According to the company register in the Netherlands SaM Solutions BV is registered under the number 34350956 with an address at Pauwhof 135 in a residential area of the municipality of Rijswijk, adjacent to the Hague. Postcode: 2289 BL

SaM's Dutch subsidiary
SaM's Dutch subsidiary is located at Pauwhof 135 in a residential area of Rijswijk.



SaM Solutions has been a certified Microsoft partner since 2002 and more recently it has been heavily involved in promoting cloud-based "solutions". It is rumoured to have played a key role in the EPO's recent controversial "cloud migration" project overseen by Vice-President Steve Rowan.

SaM Solutions as Microsoft partner
SaM Solutions has been a certified Microsoft partner since 2002 and is rumoured to have played a key role in the EPO's recent controversial "cloud migration" project.



In the next part, we shall see how the founders of the SaM group received significant assistance from Germany during the company's start-up phase.

Belarus and EPO
Belarus and EPO: Not as distanced as António Campinos wants you to believe... and possibly a conduit of Microsoft corruption/illegal activities in Europe



Recent Techrights' Posts

"Use Wayland" Isn't a Bugfix for X (X11 is Still Necessary)
They tell us X is "dead" and we must all be herded into Wayland ASAP
The New Head of OSI is an "Hey Hi" (AI) Obsessed Person
when Bryant says "AI" that doesn't mean AI
"Governments, local authorities, schools and hospitals can lead by example by procuring only Free Software"
Crossposted from Tux Machines
Cindy Cohn Leaving the Electronic Frontier Foundation While Its Co-founder John Gilmore, Whom She Apparently Helped Oust, Will Celebrate 40 Years of the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
EFF has been busy hoarding GAFAM money, whereas the latter is where all the real activism is done
"Google is Googlebombing KDE's Project Banana"
So is Google googlebombing KDE's Project Banana? You decide.
Some Very Large IRC Networks Are Growing
IRC will turn 38 next year
What Ruben Amorim and Stefano Maffulli Have in Common
Censors Wikipedia and Social Control Media
Microsoft Won't Cooperate in Trying to Tackle EPO Corruption (Microsoft Profits From This Corruption)
Use something like BigBlueButton, Jami, Ring, and Jitsi instead
We Are Sad to Hear the Story of Jonathan Riddell, Champion of KDE and GNU/Linux on Desktops/Laptops
I have enormous respect for Jonathan and everything he has done
 
Microsoft 'Secure' Boot Versus Dual Boot With GNU/Linux
they're meant to assume everything is OK
Links 16/09/2025: While Oracle Pretends to be Rich It's Firing About 70 MySQL Workers, "Oracle's Revenge" (Faking Demand With "AI")
Links for the day
Microsoft Has Just Published a New Web Page About "Secure Boot Update Process" (Microsoft Also Admits Issues; PCs Can Stop Booting)
Why was this page issued and published only hours ago?
Microsoft Lunduke: I Spread Hate and Then I Receive Hate
Cry us a river, Microsoft Lunduke
"Disable Secure Boot and Fast Boot. Wipe and Start Over."
At least they didn't say, buy a new computer...
The Oracle Ponzi Scheme
Oracle isn't doing well, but it's nowadays fashionable to say "clown" and "hey hi" to prop up one's stock, even based on nothing at all
Taking Out the Battery, Opening Up Your Computer, Just Like a "Normie" Would
At this stage, any person who still says "enable Secure Boot" is misguided or persuaded by companies that sell rootkits
Slopwatch: Serial Sloppers and Slopfarms Still Infesting Google News (Fake 'Articles' About "Linux" Spreading FUD)
searching for "Linux" today yields a lot of FUD
The Reach of Techrights Has Broadened
We nowadays cover a broader range of issues
Complicating Things for No Actual Benefit, Just Added Risk and More Difficulties Adding GNU/Linux and BSDs
Watch what it's like for people who wish to use BSDs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 15, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 15, 2025
Links 16/09/2025: Autumn Party, RPG Planet, and Optical ROOPHLOCH
Links for the day
Geminispace Growing at Pace of Over 10% Per Year
Contrary to what some pessimists try to claim
Linux Mint Forums Today: Disable 'Secure Boot', It Doesn't Improve Security, It's Just a Microsoft Obstacle to GNU/Linux Users
They also mention MOK
Solved Less Than an Hour Ago: Trying to Escape Windows, 'Secure Boot' Gets in the Way
'Secure Boot' wasn't meant to even exist in the first place
Stefano Maffulli, Executive Director of the Open Source Initiative, Resigns or Gets Removed (We'll Continue Covering OSI Scandals)
A dozen mentions of "AI", not much about "Open Source"
Andy Has Just Nailed It (Regarding Complexity and Failure, a la UEFI)
The users no longer own or control what they buy
Compatibility Support Module (CSM) Versus GNU/Linux Simplicity
what Andy recently called "solutionism"
Links 15/09/2025: "Postal Traffic to US Down by Over 80%" and 'Smart' Spinozacampus Laundry Room Goes AWOL
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/09/2025: Dungeon Hustle and Deleting Oneself From the Net
Links for the day
Breach of EPO's Duty of Care or Cigna Reimbursement Issues
This is the sort of thing that motivated Luigi Mangione to assassinate a CEO
Ask Ubuntu About "Secure Boot" Violation and Laptops That Don't Boot GNU/Linux
Does anyone still believe that "Secure Boot" has anything at all to do with security?
Talking About the Problem vs Talking to the Problem
Wanting an audience is never a good excuse for compromising one's values and principles
Focusing on Patents
The reason we cover the EPO so much is that it's close to home
"Secure Boot Violation": The 'Joys' of Fake Security Gone Wrong
Not everyone reboots every day
Links 15/09/2025: Russia Invades Romanian Airspace, Penske Media Sues Google Over LLM Slop
Links for the day
Links 15/09/2025: Bitcoin ATMs Scam and "Conservative Cryptography" (Backdoors Fantasies)
Links for the day
EPO Imitates Microsoft: "Three Days or More Per Week" Inside the Office to Get a Desk to Work on; "the Office Breaches Its Promise Towards Staff and Acts in Breach of Its Duty of Care"
The EPO serves no actual function in Europe
Links 15/09/2025: Political Affairs, Censorship, and Copyrights
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/09/2025: Music Genres, Invisible Networks, and Akademy 2025
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 14, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 14, 2025
Satya's Plan B: Try to Hide the Massive Extent/Scale/Scope of Microsoft Layoffs
fewer people buy Microsoft
Red Hat News About De Facto Mass Layoffs (Bluewashing) Gone From Reddit (Censored by Gatekeepers), Still Online in The Register
With RTOs, PIPs, relocation etc. expect IBM to "shed off" many Red Hatters
UEFI "Secure Boot Doesn’t Play Nice at the Moment"
UEFI "Secure Boot" does not improve security. It's an artificial obstacle in service of monopoly.
Gemini Links 14/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH, Music, and Reddit
Links for the day
If You Want to "make your 'Windows PC' lean, mean, and fast" You Will Install GNU/Linux or Some BSD
That kind of article says a lot about IDG
Slopwatch: Google News Infested With Slop (About Half of the Results for "Linux" Today)
This is the sort of junk one finds when looking for "Linux" in Google News these days
Links 14/09/2025: Ricky Hatton Dies and McDonald's Declares War on Tipping Culture
Links for the day
Links 14/09/2025: Disasters for CEOs Obsessed With Slop and Slop Companies School Like Fish
Links for the day
"Bad Shim Signature" (Microsoft 'Secure' Boot)
"Fresh install not booting"
What Microsoft Garrett and Microsoft Lunduke Have in Common
Similar tactics, different "wings"
Links 14/09/2025: US "Economy Sagging", "Michigan Economy Wobbles From Tariffs"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 14/09/2025: Minimalist Snippet Manager and Omarchy Linux
Links for the day
The Face of the Digital Far Right: Microsoft Lunduke
Microsoft Lunduke is an online extremist that belongs to and panders to the far right
20 Years Later and Academia Isn't the Same
"I never dreamed of being a professor"
'Cancel Culture' by the Right: Microsoft Lunduke Contacts People's Employers Trying to Get Them Fired
Microsoft Lunduke panders to extremists online
"Bad Shim Signature"; So 'Secure' That It Overrides Users' Preferences and Turns Itself Back on (Coercive Measure)
This was a few hours ago
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 13, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 13, 2025