CNN
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A wealthy Russian businessman suspected of a number of crimes has been arrested as part of a “major operation”, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency said in a statement on Saturday.
A 58-year-old man was arrested on Thursday “by officers from the NCA’s Combating Kleptocracy Cell at a multi-million-pound residence in London” on suspicion of committing offenses including money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office – UK government department agency Said that for immigration and passport – and conspiracy to commit perjury.
A 35-year-old man employed at the premises was also arrested “nearby” on suspicion of money laundering and obstructing an officer, “he was seen leaving the address with a bag containing thousands of pounds of cash,” according to the statement. according.
A third man, aged 39, who the agency said is the ex-boyfriend of the businessman’s current partner, was arrested at his home in Pimlico, London, for offenses including money laundering and conspiracy to defraud, according to the statement. went.
A person familiar with the investigation gave CNN more details about the two arrested men, saying the 39-year-old was a citizen of Russia, Israel and the UK and the 35-year-old was a Polish citizen. The bank notes that the 35-year-old man was carrying have not yet been counted, the source told CNN, but they are suspected to be in the tens of thousands more in British currency.
The three men were questioned by the authorities and released on bail, according to the statement.
The Russian embassy in London has sent a note to the British authorities regarding the detention of a Russian citizen, according to an embassy statement provided to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
According to RIA Novosti, “the Russian Embassy in London has sought clarification from the British authorities regarding information from the National Crime Agency about the alleged detention of a Russian citizen in London.”
The agency’s director-general, Graeme Biggar, said: “The NCA’s Combating Kleptocracy Cell, established only this year, is achieving significant success in investigating potential criminal activity by oligarchs, the professional service providers who protect them and the Russian regime. support and enable connected people.”
“We will continue to use all the forces and tactics available to us to thwart this threat,” he added.
The statement said more than 50 officers were involved in the operation at the businessman’s London property. “Following extensive searches by NCA investigators, several digital devices and a large amount of cash were recovered,” according to the statement.
So far, the agency says it has secured nearly 100 interceptions “against Putin-linked elites and their supporters” and has taken direct action against “a significant number of elites with direct influence on Britain”.
The agency is also targeting “less traditional routes used to conceal the movements of significant funds, such as the sale of high-value assets through auction houses,” according to the statement.