Mikhail Fridman, Russian oligarch, arrested in London. A Pole was arrested with him
In addition to money laundering, the 58-year-old oligarch was charged with two other charges – conspiracy to defraud the Ministry of the Interior and conspiracy to commit perjury. Two other people were arrested with him. One of them is a 35-year-old man believed to work at the oligarch’s home and was arrested as he left with a bag filled with cash. He was arrested on charges of money laundering and obstruction of law enforcement. Another arrested is a 39-year-old man, a former partner of the oligarch’s current partner. He was arrested at his home in Pimlico, central London, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to extort money.
All three arrested men have since been released on bail.
A person close to the investigation gave CNN more details about the two arrested men, saying that The 39-year-old man was a citizen of Russia, Israel and Great Britain, and the 35-year-old man was a citizen of Poland. A source told CNN that the bills the 35-year-old had on him had not yet been counted, but are believed to be in the tens of thousands and in British currency.
The NCA did not give the names of any of the arrested, but according to Russian independent media, including Agienstvo-Novosti and Nastoyashcheye Vremya television, it may be Mikhail Fridman, a Russian businessman, founder and shareholder of Alfa Group – agrees, among others his age. Fridman’s name is also reported by the Ukrainian portal Ukrainska Pravda, citing three anonymous “sources in business circles”. In the same text, the portal reports that other interlocutors claim that Fridman is at home in London.
The NCA said around 50 of its anti-kleptocracy officers were involved in an operation at the businessman’s property where a number of digital devices and a large amount of cash were seized after a search. NCA Director General Graeme Biggar stressed that although this unit was only established this year, it has already had significant success in investigating the potential criminal activity of oligarchs, the professional service providers that enable this criminal activity, and prosecuting those with ties to the Russian regime.
Recall that fridmanwho founded the largest private bank in Russia, it was placed on both the EU and UK sanctions list after it invaded Ukraine. While the multi-billionaire claims to be a private businessman and has no ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the EU claims he is an “helper of Putin’s inner circle”.
In an interview with Bloomberg this spring, Fridman said that to spend money in the UK, they must complete an application which is then checked by the UK government. This is how I receive an allowance of less than 3,000. $300 per month, he told the agency. He also complained that he had to clean the apartment himself.
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