A 58-year-old Russian businessman has been arrested at his luxury London home on suspicion of money laundering as part of authorities’ ongoing investigation into the activities of Russian oligarchs in the British capital.
The detainee, who has not been identified, has also been charged with conspiracy to commit perjury and conspiracy to defraud the Home Office, according to a statement from the National Crime Agency (CAN) picked up Saturday by Sky News.
The Russian tycoon has not been publicly identified by name, nor have two other men who have been arrested in the same operation.
However, one of them, a 35-year-old alleged employee of the billionaire, was seen leaving the building with thousands of pounds in a suitcase.
The third individual was arrested in the London borough of Pimlico, also for money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud. «All three defendants were questioned and later released on bail,» the agency has made known in a statement.
«The cell also investigated and took discreet action against a significant number of elites directly impacting the UK, as well as targeting less conventional routes used to disguise significant wealth movements, such as the sale of high-value assets through auction houses,» the statement said.
«Internationally, the ACN’s work has helped freeze numerous properties, eight yachts and four aircraft, and it continues to work closely with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation to ensure other assets are frozen in the UK, as well as with global partners to target illicit wealth overseas,» the agency concluded.
The Russian Embassy in London has demanded that the British authorities immediately notify the reasons and circumstances of the Russian businessman’s arrest, according to a statement carried by the Russian TASS agency.
