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Germany uncovers Russian-Eurasian money laundering scheme

1 min read
Germany uncovers Russian-Eurasian money laundering scheme
Illustrative purposes only: Rear View Of Police Officer On City Street Against Police Car. (Reinhard Krull/Getty Images)

German authorities uncovered a major Russian-Eurasian money laundering network, which facilitated an illegal cash flow of tens of millions of euros, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Feb. 20.

Searches were carried out in Germany, Malta, and Latvia with the assistance of local authorities and Eurojust. Eleven people, aged between 31 and 58, are considered suspects in the case.

No later than July 2021, the suspects created a network of companies based on a Maltese financial institution with numerous fronts to conduct money laundering, the investigators said. The group is believed to have operated mainly from Berlin and Riga.

One of the suspects – a 53-year-old man – had already been detained in the German state of Brandenburg, and funds in eight Maltese accounts had been frozen, German prosecutors said.

No further details on the suspects' identities have been provided at the moment.

In 2023, German and Latvian authorities established a joint investigative task force to uncover the scheme.

Investigation: Baltic-registered crypto firms service payments for Russian private army, allow sanctions evasion
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Martin Fornusek

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Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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