The 58-year-old suspect was detained under suspicion of money laundering, conspiracy to mislead the Home Office, and conspiracy to commit perjury.
Police investigating criminal behavior by billionaires have arrested a wealthy Russian businessman at his luxurious London residence.
The 58-year-old suspect was detained under suspicion of money laundering, conspiracy to mislead the Home Office, and conspiracy to commit perjury.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has not identified the arrested man or the two other individuals.
A guy, believed to be a 35-year-old employee of the multimillion-pound mansion in the capital, was detained after being observed leaving the building with a bag containing thousands of pounds in cash.
He was detained on allegations of money laundering and resisting arrest.
A 39-year-old man was detained at his residence in Pimlico, London, for offenses including money laundering and fraud conspiracy.
The NCA stated that over fifty of its officers from the Combatting Kleptocracy Cell participated in the operation at the multimillionaire businessman’s home, where numerous digital gadgets and a substantial amount of cash was confiscated during a search.
The director general of the NCA, Graeme Biggar, stated, “The NCA’s Combating Kleptocracy Cell, which was only established this year, is having significant success investigating potential criminal activity by oligarchs, professional service providers who support and enable them, and those linked to the Russian regime.
We will continue to employ all available resources and strategies to counter this threat.
Since their arrest, all three individuals have been released on bail.
The NCA stated that the operation was the most recent of its kind in its efforts to disrupt the activities of corrupt international corporate figures and their facilitators.
The agency asserts that it has secured close to one hundred disruptions – acts that eliminate or decrease a criminal danger – against Putin-affiliated elites and their facilitators.
Among these are several Account Freezing Orders (AFOs) about accounts owned by persons with ties to sanctioned Russians.
“The cell has also investigated and taken discrete action against a significant number of elites who have a direct impact on the United Kingdom, as well as targeting less conventional routes used to conceal movements of significant wealth, such as the sale of high-value assets through auction houses,” the NCA said.
Internationally, the NCA’s efforts have contributed to the freezing of several properties, eight yachts, and four aircraft, and it continues to collaborate with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and other partners to target illegal riches stored abroad.
