Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman arrested in London on money laundering and conspiracy charges, then released on bail. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, referring to the information released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom which communicated that it had “conducted a massive operation to arrest a wealthy Russian businessman on charges of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Ministry of the Interior and conspiracy to perjure”. The news was then also confirmed by the Russian news agency Tass, which quotes an anonymous source.
The 58-year-old man “was arrested on Thursday 1 December in his multimillion-dollar residence in London by agents of the Combatting Kleptocracy Cell”, the Nca still communicated, adding that, as part of the operation, even a “35-year-old man , employed at the facility, was arrested nearby – on charges of money laundering and obstruction of an NCA official – after being seen leaving the address with a bag found containing thousands of pounds in cash.
A third man, aged 39, a former boyfriend of the businessman’s current partner, was arrested at his home in Pimlico, London, “for offenses including money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud,” he said. concluded the agency.
The Russian embassy in London did not confirm Fridman’s identity, but asked the British authorities “to explain the reasons and circumstances of the arrest as soon as possible as well as to provide information on the whereabouts and conditions of the compatriot”. The Alfa-Bank press service instead denied the news, arguing that Fridman “has nothing to do with this story”.
Who is Mikhail Fridman
Born and raised in Lviv until the age of 17 before moving to Russia, Fridman was a member of numerous public bodies, including the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Council on Foreign Relations. According to Forbes, he was the seventh richest Russian as of 2017, and 11th in 2020. His net worth, estimated at around $15 billion, was hit by sanctions against Russia in March following the invasion of Ukraine. But Fridman was also one of the first Russian oligarchs to distance himself from the war. “I am convinced that it will never be the answer – he had declared – This crisis will cost lives and damage two nations that have been brothers for hundreds of years”.