RUSSIAN AND UKRAINE CITIZENS DETAINED IN SPAIN ON MONEY LAUNDERING CHARGES

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MADRID, March 13 (RIA Novosti, Juan Kobo) - Among suspects in a large-scale money laundering fraud detained in Marbella (Malaga province, Spain), there are citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Spain, France, Morocco and Finland.

Russian company Yukos is involved in the case, report the Spanish media, citing sources in Spanish law enforcement.

The Spanish media quote a representative of the Main Department of Spanish National Police, who stated that it was the largest money laundering operation on the territory of Spain ever.

He said that the suspects were detained not only in Spain (in Malaga, Cadiz, Alicante and Granada), but also in Russia and the Netherlands. The agency notes that "Russian highest level political and law enforcement authority showed interest in this case, and at present judicial bodies of both countries maintain close contacts in connection with the case."

It has become known earlier that the money laundering fraud in Marabella turned into such a large investigation case that the Interpol and Europol had to be involved to coordinate actions of law enforcement bodies of various European countries.

The EFE agency adds that the police investigation operation, code-named "White Whale," had started ten months ago. It initially involved 300 Spanish police operatives. The investigation started after the police received a tip that several large international crime groups had been laundering large amounts of money in Marbella. Overall, according to Spanish police, the criminals laundered about 250 million Euro.

According to the EFE, which cites non-classified information, Yukos had been transferring large sums of money to Holland, and from there the money went to a lawyer's office in Marbella - a posh resort on Costa del Sol, which is a notorious center of local and international organized crime activities on the territory of Spain.

Quoting the investigation sources, the media also reported, "a significant part of money laundered in Marbella was coming from Russian oil company Yukos, which illegally transferred its funds to a Dutch company, and the latter, consequently, sent it to its Spanish branch."

Yukos officials denied money laundering allegations of the Spanish media. "It is pure nonsense. They might have as well claimed that we have been laundering money on Mars," Yukos press secretary Alexander Shadrin told RIA Novosti. "It is my official response on these allegations," he added.

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