Posts Tagged ‘prosecutor’
Lithuanian prosecutors open investigation into multi-million dollar tax fraud by Russian organised crime group
Prosecutors in Lithuania have opened an investigation into a multi-million dollar tax fraud carried out by a Russian organised crime group which used the Baltic nation’s banks to launder some of their money.
Lithuania is now the fourth European nation to investigate how millions were stolen from Russian tax-payers in a highly complex scam that involved criminal networks aided by corrupt members of the Russian state and judiciary. Switzerland, Latvia and Cyprus have also begun similar investigations.
The money trail links back to the so-called “Magnitsky case”, a $230 million tax fraud that has become a major source of international embarrassment for the Kremlin because of mounting evidence that prominent officials within the Interior Ministry, tax offices and the judiciary aided the scam.
Sergei Magnitsky, the Moscow based lawyer who uncovered the fraud at the behest of a British hedge fund, died in prison in November 2009 nine months after he was arrested by the same officials he had accused of being behind the heist.
The scandal has led to increasing friction between Russia and the West with the United States recently approving legislation banning a number of officials linked to the scam from entering America or holding assets there. Moscow was infuriated by the moves and responded with a ban on American couples adopting Russian babies.
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Latvian prosecutors open probe into bank links to Magnitsky case
Latvian prosecutors are set to investigate claims implicating several of the country’s banks in the alleged Russian tax fraud scheme that blew up into an international incident when it led to the 2009 death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in detention in Moscow, according to investigative journalism NGO Re:Baltica. The cast of characters implicated represents a roll call of Latvians that have regularly cropped up in relation to questionable Russian and Ukrainian state deals.
The Latvian prosecutor’s office announced late on October 2 that it has reversed an earlier decision by the state police not to investigate whether Latvian banks helped to launder at least $63m out of Russia in 2007. The funds are claimed to stem from a huge tax fraud operation alleged by Hermitage Capital against members of Russia’s tax police.
Alexander Cernisovs, chief prosecutor responsible for organized crime, told journalists that having studied the evidence from Latvian banks, he has determined that the state police’s decision not to start a criminal investigation was contrary to law and unjustified, reports Re:Baltica. He said he has sent the evidence of Latvian banks’ involvement back to the police for re-investigation.
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Sergey Magnitsky, Latvia, money laundering
Are you horrified by the murder of Sergey Magnitsky? Are you disgusted by the involvement of Russian government officials in the related theft of hundreds of millions of dollars? Please know that Latvian banks were involved. The Latvian offshore banking system is funded by the EBRD, EU, IMF, and World Bank. Why does the world tolerate this outrageous use of taxpayer money?
The attached letter details the movement of stolen money through the following Latvian banks: AB.LV, Baltic International Bank, Baltic Trust Bank, Paritate Bank, Rietumu Bank, and Trasta Komercbank. All have links with Parex Bank, and all used shell companies from the same “International Overseas Services” that was run by the former Parex chairman. When half of the assets of Parex disappeared in 2008, the EBRD, EU, IMF, and World Bank bailed out the shell-company depositors with a loan that must be paid back by Latvian taxpayers. A large part of the bailed out deposits were re-deposited at AB.LV.
Please read this letter from Brown Rudnick to the Latvian General Prosecutor regarding Latvian banks involved in the Sergey Magnitsky case:
Latvian Complaint signed FULL (2) микрозайм онлайн займ на карту https://zp-pdl.com/how-to-get-fast-payday-loan-online.php www.zp-pdl.com unshaven girl
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