Aven was accused of being a “pro-Kremlin oligarch who made his fortune in the last days of the Soviet regime.”
To end a nearly two-year British police investigation into sanctions evasion, the estate manager of billionaire Russian oligarch Petr Aven has agreed to forfeit more than £750,000. Bloomberg reported this.
NCA spokeswoman Annabelle Darlow said thousands of pounds in cash found at Aven’s mansion outside London had also been seized under “proceeds of crime” legislation.
The NCA accused Aven of being “a pro-Kremlin oligarch who made his fortune in the last days of the Soviet regime.”
Funds held in bank accounts at HSBCHoldingsPlci MonzoBankLtd were confiscated after Avena’s husband and the administrator of his estate admitted that the funds “were either property subject to forfeiture or intended to be used in illegal activity.”
Aven herself reportedly has no bank accounts in the UK, but is suspected of using her husband’s and wealth management firm accounts as personal reserves to fund her lifestyle.
The investigation focused on around £3.7 million sent to the UK through an Austrian trust in the hours before European sanctions were imposed on Aven.
The NCA had previously asked for £1.2 million to be confiscated from Aven.
It was previously reported that sanctioned Russian businessman Petr Aven said he did not have enough funds to pay basic bills.
Let’s recall that the United States imposed sanctions against a network that was supposed to help Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska get access to frozen $1.5 billion.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.