{"id":446800,"date":"2019-03-05T09:39:22","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T09:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/?p=446800"},"modified":"2019-03-05T10:59:50","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T10:59:50","slug":"troika-laundromat-traces-left-moldova-huge-money-laundering-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/troika-laundromat-traces-left-moldova-huge-money-laundering-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"The Troika Laundromat: The traces left in Moldova by the huge money laundering machine"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Troika Laundromat is one of the biggest leaks of bank documents. It comprises over 1.3 million transactions from 233,000 companies and individuals, totaling more than \u20ac300.000.000.000<\/strong>. The data is a compilation of documents coming from several sources and obtained by the OCCRP and the Lithuanian portal 15min.lt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Documents have been provided to 23 media partners worldwide, including RISE Moldova<\/a> journalists.<\/p>\n

The cross-border investigation shows how billions of dollars have been washed by opaque companies and banks that were later closed. Among the major beneficiaries are Russian oligarchs and politicians. They secretly purchased shares in state-owned companies, bought luxury homes, paid their children’s studies to British or Swiss schools, and settled medical bills.<\/p>\n

The name of the leak #TroikaLaundromat<\/em> – comes from the Russian investment company “Troika Dialog”, connected to the Russian Armenian banker – Ruben Vardanyan. Billion dollars flowed from Russia into UKIO Bankas (Lithuania), under the aegis of Troika Dialog. Part of the money came to Russian laundry companies.<\/p>\n

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Caption: Sergiu Brega \/ OCCRP<\/p><\/div>\n

Troika Laundromat did leave traces in the Republic of Moldova.<\/h3>\n

In the first case, we show how three companies registered in Chisinau were used in financial engineering that washed over $100.000.000<\/strong>. Under fictitious contracts signed in Moscow and Kiev, the money was leaked from the accounts of the three savings bank companies to those of some offshore companies from a Lithuanian bank. Transactions were made at the same time as the famous tax fraud in Russia known as the Magnitski case, but there is also a close connection with fuel fraud at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow.<\/p>\n\n

The Magnitski case<\/h3>\n

The Magnitski case became globally known after Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitski discovered (in 2007) the $230.000.000 theft from the Russian treasury<\/strong>, and two years later he died in a prison in Moscow because of torture and lack of assistance medical.<\/p>\n

Money in Russia then disappeared in offshore firms. On their way to tax havens, where real beneficiaries hide, the millions of dollars have gone through a number of foreign companies, including Moldovan companies. Among them are Bunicon Impex SRL – headquartered in a deserted house in the center of Chisinau and owned by the Transnistrian region.<\/p>\n

Local businesses held accounts with Banca de Economii<\/strong>. Hence, the money transferred to their accounts has been redirected to several outside banks, including UKIO Bankas in Lithuania.<\/p>\n

In 2013, the Lithuanian authorities closed UKIO Bankas, and Banca de Economii closed its doors over two years, amid the disappearance of $1.000.000.000<\/strong>\u00a0from the banking system in the Republic of Moldova.<\/p>\n

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Caption: A client at the door of the UKIO Bankas, closed by the authorities in 2013. PHOTO: Erikas Ovkarenko \/ 15min.lt<\/p><\/div>\n\n

The Magnitski connection<\/h3>\n

Among the Troika Laundromat bank records, we found nine fictitious contracts worth more than $100.000.000<\/strong>, concluded by three Moldovan companies with several offshore companies. Transactions were made using the same pattern used in the Magnitski case.<\/p>\n

In most contracts, it is indicated that they were signed in Moscow in 2006-2009 and only two of them have been signed in Kiev.<\/p>\n

The first was concluded on December 28, 2006. According to the contract, Whitmore Limited, a British phantom company, undertakes to provide equipment worth $25.000.000<\/strong> to Avertas-Prim SRL in Moldova. The last one had the accounts opened at Banca de Economii.<\/p>\n