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.
Anna Myroniuk
