German authorities searched a huge bank in Frankfurt and Munich on November 8 in an ongoing investigation into suspected money laundering by a Russian oligarch, according to a spokesperson for the prosecutors. Swiss bank UBS confirmed that its branches were the subject of the searches and it was cooperating with the involved authorities.
Notably, the prosecutors’ spokesperson did not reveal the name of the bank and declined to name the oligarch as well, stating that individuals of the bank were not under any investigation.
Weekly Der Spiegel was the first to report the search. It said that the case involved Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. A Usmanov spokesperson vehemently rejected these allegations, describing them as false, unfounded, and defamatory.
Buy Crypto NowThe spokesperson added:
“The businessman is a law-abiding and conscientious taxpayer who has paid taxes in Russia.”
In that context, the prosecutors’ spokesperson insisted that the oligarch in question was also the subject of multiple searches at a motor yacht in northern Germany in September 2022.