Status: 08/21/2022 06:25
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Russian oligarchs have their fortunes parked and anchored around the world. A new special unit in New York is now targeting exactly that – and providing the preparatory legal work for the confiscation.
By Antje Passenheim, ARD Studio New York
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It will be difficult for the Russian oligarchs when the US judiciary has an eye on them, promises Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. There is no point in hiding: “We take you, we take your yacht, your jet, your account”.
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Antje Passenheim
ARD-Studio New York
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Dirty resources, tricks to circumvent sanctions – since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine the US government has cracked down on Moscow’s corrupt money elite, US Attorney General Merrick Garland agrees:
We leave no stone unturned in our efforts to investigate, arrest and prosecute those whose criminal activities allow Russia to wage this unjust war.
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“Disturb the comfort of the oligarchs”
The task force on the trail of the oligarchs hides behind the mirrored glass of a darkened administration building in the financial district of Manhattan. “KleptoCapture” is the name of the unit, which translates as “catch the thief”.
What sounds like the name of a board game has become deadly serious for numerous oligarchs – and politicians: 28 names are on the US sanctions list, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The special unit that Garland formed in New York in March is intended to show that the United States is applying its sanctions against the supporters of this war at all costs. And that no one can evade them through money laundering or networks, explains the director of “KleptoCapture” Andrew Adams in an interview with the broadcaster NBC: “We want to stop the networks. Stop the comforts enjoyed by oligarchs: real estate, bank accounts, art, the undeserved harvested fruits of a life of luxury – we have all of this in the pipeline. “
Andrew Adams leads the group of oligarch hunters “KleptoCapture”.
Bild: picture alliance / Consolidated
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The first trophy: A yacht
Adams could play the cute prosecutor in a black and white thriller. But behind his boyish facade is years of accumulated experience. As a prosecutor, he has dealt with Russian organized crime groups. In his new job in Manhattan, he leads an entire army of oligarch hunters.
The team includes more than 10 prosecutors and other criminal justice professionals, as well as experts in national security, the FBI and tax investigators. “You can’t just go get a yacht,” Adams says. “You have to go through the facts that link ownership to a crime. You have to prove the crime.”
In April, the task force confiscated the first oligarch ship: the luxury yacht owned by Russian investor Viktor Wekselberg. The billionaire has been on the US sanctions list since 2018 for suspected tax fraud, money laundering, and document forgery to evade sanctions. With the help of the Spanish police, “KleptoCapture” chained his $ 90 million yacht “Tango” off the coast of Mallorca.
The oligarch yacht “Tango” was raided in the port of Barcelona by US federal officials and the Spanish Civil Guard.
Image: dpa
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A private plane in Kazakhstan
Meanwhile, “KleptoCapture” is another Russian billionaire: Deputy of the Duma Andrei Skotsch. The US and the EU have imposed numerous sanctions on the oligarch. Among other things, he is said to be linked to Russian organized crime gangs. “KleptoCapture” wants to cash in on its plane, which is worth the equivalent of over 88 million euros. He is in Kazakhstan at the moment.
It is not an easy case, but it is exactly what irritates the oligarch hunter Adams: “The reason for coming to work is to look for money and then the crime behind it.”
The United States and other countries have the right to freeze the assets of suspected oligarchs. The original owners will then not be able to use that yacht, jet, home or account until penalties are successfully lifted or contested.
So far, the United States and its allies, including Germany, have frozen the assets of the Russian oligarchs worth more than $ 330 billion.
New York’s “KleptoCapture” task force targets Russian oligarchs
Antje Passenheim, ARD New York, Aug 17, 2022 6:44 am
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