Roldugin opened accounts at Gazprombank in Zurich in 2014. That is the investment bank of the Russian gas giant of the same name. The millions that Roldugin deposited into the account up to and including 2016 may not have been his. In Switzerland, it is mandatory to investigate the origin of deposits if there are any doubts about it. The total amount that Roldugin deposited amounts to around 30 million euros.
Who the real owner of the disputed millions is has never been established with certainty. There are suspicions that Roldugin acts as the financial boss of Russian President Putin. The men are good friends. Roldugin is the godfather of Putin’s eldest daughter Maria.
Over by author
Joram Bolle is general reporter of de Volkskrant.
The judge does not blame the four bankers, three Russians and one Swiss, for not being able to trace the owner of the money. However, they should have established that the origin of the funds could not be determined. Given the political situation in Russia and the fact that Russian oligarchs were known to store money abroad through shady schemes, the bankers could have suspected that the case could not be trusted.
It was not until 2016 that Roldugin was questioned, despite the fact that he was not known as a businessman and he did open an account at an investment bank. The account was closed after no response.
Roldugin is also known as ‘Putin’s wallet’. The cellist himself said in 2014 The New York Times that he ‘has no millions’. At the time, however, he had $350 million to his name. In 2016, the Panama Papers revealed that Roldugin was involved in a vast network of offshore companies likely linked to Putin.
The bankers have been fined 741,000 Swiss francs (744,000 euros). However, it is conditional, with a probationary period of two years. However, they are appealing the ruling. They think it was conceivable that Roldugin himself was rich.
Strikingly enough, the lawyers cited the same defense as the prosecution, albeit with a different conclusion: Roldugin was friends with Putin and therefore had access to “special financial resources” that enabled him to build up his substantial wealth.
