.. HALF OF EUROPE
Jutarnji list | 21. 03. 2017 to 15: 23h
British banks have participated in a major operation by Russian criminals associated with the Russian authorities and the local secret service FSB, in which was washed nearly 740 million dollars, exclusively revealed the British "Guardian".
The text signed by Luke Harding, Nick Hopkins and Selina Bar said that the scandal involved 17 banks, among them "HSBC", "Royal Bank of Scotland," "Lloyds", "Barkley" and "Kouts". They are now faced with the issues of whether and how many knew about the international money laundering scheme, and why they did not refuse to carry out these suspicious financial transfers.
According to documents seen by the 'Guardian' journalists, between 2010 and 2014 from Russia was transferred out at least $ 20 billion, potentially even 80 billion, according to some detectives. One of the high-ranking investigators for "The Guardian" said that the "money was or stolen or of criminal origin."
Putin's cousin
Extensive operation is called the "Global Laundromat" (global money washing store), but investigators are still trying to identify the rich and politically influential Russians who are behind the whole "project". According to their estimates, the operation included about 500 people, including Russian oligarchs, bankers and people from Moscow who are or have been associated with the Russian intelligence service FSB, successor to the KGB. Among other things, it is known that in the administration of one of the Moscow banks involved in the fraud office had Igor Putin, a cousin of President Vladimir Putin, reports Jutarnji List.
#Laundromat Exposed: $ 20.8 bil laundered. Who got the money? Why did some of the world's big #banks fail to stop it? https://t.co/qj5XUIjmhh pic.twitter.com/UQceazjStE
- OCCRP (@OCCRP) March 21, 2017
As for the companies registered in the United Kingdom, which have participated in the operation, their real owners are unknown due to the anonymity that is provided by controversial laws that govern offshore banking.
Global money laundering operation was exposed by research project organized crime and corruption (OCCRP) and "Novaya Gazeta", and they got the key documents through anonymous sources. The documents give details about the of at least 70,000 bank transactions, of which 1,920 passed through the British and 373 thru US banks - according to "The Guardian", were, allegedly, collected during the three-year investigation into money laundering carried out by the police in Moldova and Lithuania.
The Russians who are suspected high-ranking criminals or are connected with them, have sent through banks in these countries billions of dollars in the period covered by the investigation, writes "The Guardian". As stated, a lot of money was used to bribe Moldovan MPs.
And bank of Elizabeth II is part of scandal
At the end the trail led investigators to 96 states and the whole network of anonymous owners of companies, most of which are registered in London. The extend of operations shocked investigators who, among other things, found that British banks carried out transactions in the amount of 738.1 million dollars, which are suspected to be of criminal origin.
Behind the #Laundromat are three #russian businessmen whose firms took in enormous sums. Read about them here: https://t.co/NjNyO1X2VF pic.twitter.com/E3N7QrQphs
- OCCRP (@OCCRP) March 21, 2017
By far the largest amount, 545.3 million dollars, passed through the "HSBC" bank, mainly through its branch in Hong Kong. "Royal Bank of Scotland" has executed suspicious transactions in the amount of 113.1 million dollars, while "Coates" (bank whose client is the British Queen Elizabeth II), accepted 32.8 million of suspicious payments through its branch office in Zurich.
"The Guardian" on the occasion of this discoveries contacted representatives of all banks involved in the scandal. They have denied the authenticity of the documents and claimed to adhere strictly to the rules on combating money laundering.
Money washed and in Croatia and Slovenia
In an article previously published in the "Guardian" and some other media, there are no details of any transactions that have ended in Croatia, although on the interactive map, published on page OCCRP, it is evident that thru Croatia went seven transactions for a total value of 507,458 US dollars . There are no other details on these transactions.
As 1Bil $ vanished from #Moldova, a 4th bank routed $ 20.8Bil and Russian money. One man was linked to both schemes: https://t.co/ONRJsPWszr pic.twitter.com/c6tTvmcS2B
- OCCRP (@OCCRP) March 21, 2017
Slovenian newspaper "Delo" reported that in Slovenia during two years went 56 transactions related to this scandal that have reached about 15 million euros on the accounts of eight banks. Paper only got a response from "Nova Ljubljanska banka" (NLB) from which they said that they have received information about suspicious transactions and that they acted in accordance with the regulations on prevention of money laundering.
For only three recipients of money they determined that the funds were received for some work that was done while on the other it was not possible to determine this, but there were noted elements on the basis of which it can be perceived that these persons were chiefs in a large money laundering machine.
Source:
http://www.blic.rs/vesti/svet/globalna-perionica-novca-kako-su-ruski-kriminalci-povezani-sa-vlastima-oprali-stotine/4r84gj9
---
IZAKOVIC