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

European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Czech Mate: EPO Kingmaker or Merely a Pawn in the Game?
recent "missions" of the EPO President
SLAPP Censorship - Part 131 Out of 200: A Big Win for the Media in the United Kingdom (UK) Today
In a democratic society the Right to Know, which is closely connected to freedom of the press (or what one might label "blogging" or "blag"), comes above all else, except where there are lives being put at risk
IBM's Fedora Plans to Integrate Slop Into "Fedora Workstation as a Default Feature."
IBM does not care whether the community wants this or not
The Media Talks a Lot About XBox Layoffs, a Closer Look at the Data Shows Microsoft 'Bloodbath'
'Bloodbath' is the term insiders use
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 07, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Microsoft Cuts Doom "id Software" and Turkey Detains Journalists
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Old Computer Challenge (OCC) and Hardware Tests
Links for the day
A Break From the Routine
What matters is what whistleblowers keep feeding information to us
SLAPP Censorship - Part 132 Out of 200: When You Cannot Pay a Million Pounds (1,335,520.00 United States Dollar) to Lawyers But Have a Strong Community
Techrights compensates for its fiscal poverty with a wealth of community spirit
Fame is Not the Goal
"Fame" kills
Mental Health in Free Software Communities
clearly there is a subject that merits debate and it ought not be a taboo anymore
The Era of Sponsored Spam
There is no "era of AI", there is era of BRIBES to PRETEND there is an "era of AI"
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Cleaning, Old Computer, and More
Links for the day
Links 07/07/2026: Le Monde Combats LLM Slop Plagiarism, "ACLU Launches Largest Ever Midterm Electoral Program"
Links for the day
Extremism in the Free Software World is Mostly a Myth
Only the firm belief that justice applies to all will produce a just society
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 06, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, July 06, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Kernelized Secure Operating System (KSOS) and "Exploiting Thoughtcrime in LLMs"
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 130 Out of 200: Jealousy, Envy, Hubris
This site is primarily about Free software
Gemini Links 06/07/2026: Still Mostly Dry, GoToSocial, and More
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Effective Dispute Resolution… But Not For EPO Staff
Slovenia fielded one of the few Administrative Council delegations which managed to maintain its own independent line against the tyrannical EPOnian "Sun King"
Community Sites Need Genuine Collaboration and True Autonomy
People who want to communicate, federate and organise for effective change need to evolve
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Covers Quibble, Free Software for Secure Communications, in the FSF Summer Bulletin
The Georgia Tech folks are bringing Free software education and contributions to one of the better known Computer Science hubs in the US
Microsoft Layoffs Include Windows, Bing, Slop (CoPilot etc.) and There Will More More Rounds (or Waves) to Come
"43% of Xbox laid off"
Obscene Contradiction in Microsoft's Layoffs Tally ("Official" Numbers Do Not Add Up)
Notice how they treat "LinkedIn" as separate
Preserving Comments About the Real IBM Before They Get Deleted
IBM in the 1980s is not what it is right now
Cybershow on "Escaping Prisons For Your Mind"
"THE CYBER SHOW: Stealing technofascism's boots, and stomping on its own face with them."
Links 06/07/2026: At Least 20% Staff Reduction in XBox (Microsoft), Taiwan Sees Uptick in Chinese Aggression/Provocation, Senator Rodante Marcoleta Arrested
Links for the day
Confirmed: Microsoft Layoffs Come in Two Waves, Just Like Last Summer
To us, what stands out is the admission from Microsoft that there are two (or more) waves
In Praise of the UK's Stance on Free Speech (but Some Reservations)
At the moment there is a healthy discussion going on with the objective of disrupting attacks on British press
Exposing Corruption at the European Patent Office (EPO), a Call for More Whistleblowers
We predict that, provided enough whistleblowers speak out, António "the unready" won't even finish his current term
Leaving Our Pets for Several Days
This week our pets will be worried that "mommy and daddy" are away
Dating Trees and Dating 'Apps'
several high-profile stories in the news about scandals in "dating apps"
DW Documentary About Julian Assange Turns 2
It was released just days after Assange had turned 53 and about two weeks after he had left the UK
Independent Media is the Only Form of Legitimate Media
Independent media is, indeed, what we need to demand more of
The Story of the European Patent Office (EPO) Wagging the Dog (EU)
The aim of the series is to properly inform the world - not just Europeans - how Europe's second-largest institution is run [...] How did a corporate hub of monopolies become so detached from the Rule of Law?
GNU/Linux Up to New High in Libya, Windows Down to All-Time Low
GNU/Linux touches 5% there, based on statCounter
Links 06/07/2026: Artists Reject Slop (or Even de Facto Bribes to Market/Endorse Slop)
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 129 Out of 200: Iranian Tactics
Hunger for revenge compels people to do overzealous, irrational things
Quiet Week
Many in the US are still enjoying an extended weekend
The Media Needs to Speak of Slop as a Climate Issue Like It Did With Bitcoin
But the slop industry keeps paying the media to play along with the hype
IBM's Fall
IBM's fate is closely connected to that of the Free software movement because of the salaries
Social Dialogue at the European Patent Office (EPO) is Dead, the Strikes and Work Stoppage-Like Actions Carry on
What next for the EPO?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 05, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 05, 2026
Links 05/07/2026: Shadows of the Upper Peninsula and 2026 Old Computer Challenge
Links for the day