A wealthy Russian businessman has been arrested as part of a major operation on suspicion of multiple offenses, the United Kingdom s National Crime Agency said in a statement Saturday.
The 58-year-old man was arrested Thursday in his multi-million pound residence in London by officers from the NCA s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell on suspicion of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office, and conspiracy to commit perjury, the agency said.
A 35-year-old man, who was employed at the premises, was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering and obstruction of an officer after he was seen leaving the address with a bag that was found to contain thousands of pounds in cash, according to the statement.
A 39-year-old man, who was identified as the former boyfriend of the businessman's current partner, was arrested at his home in Pimlico, London, for charges including money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.
A person close to the investigation has given CNN more details on two of the arrested men, saying the 39-year-old man was a national of Russia, Israel, and the UK, and the 35-year-old man was a Polish national. The bank notes that the 35-year-old was carrying have not yet been counted but are suspected to be in the tens of thousands and British currency, according to the source.
Three people have been interviewed by authorities and have been released on bail, according to the statement.
According to a statement issued by the Russian Embassy in London, the Russian Embassy in London has sent a note to British authorities regarding the detention of a Russian citizen.
The Russian Embassy in London has asked the British authorities for clarification about the information from the National Crime Agency about the detention of a Russian citizen in London, according to the note, according to RIA Novosti.
The NCA s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell, which was established this year, is having a lot of success in investigating potential criminal activity by oligarchs, the professional service providers that support and enable them and those linked to the Russian regime, said the agency s director general Graeme Biggar.
He said that we will continue to use all the powers and tactics available to us to disrupt this threat.
The statement said more than 50 officers were involved in the operation at the businessman's London property. A number of digital devices and a significant amount of cash were recovered after extensive searches by the NCA investigators, according to the statement.
The agency has taken direct action against a large number of elites who have a direct impact on the UK, and has secured nearly 100 disruptions against Putin-linked elites and their enablers. The agency is targeting less conventional routes used to disguise movements of significant wealth, such as high value asset sales via auction houses, according to the statement.