Cyprus-Forum.com

[yialousa1971]

Friday, February 26 11:26 am

London is turning into a top money-laundering centre as it becomes the favourite safe haven for fugitive Russian tycoons, a senior Russian prosecutor charged in an interview published Friday.

"The greatest number of such fugitives are hiding out in Israel and Britain. It's no coincidence that the capital of the latter is often called Londongrad," Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Zvyagintsev told state newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

"As you might guess, it's not petty thieves who hide out there, but figures with significant capital. It seems London, as a major global financial centre, is turning into a big 'laundry' for laundering criminally acquired funds."

Zvyagintsev noted that many of the fugitives had requested political asylum to "receive protection against Russian justice".

London is home to a number of wealthy Russians whom Moscow regards as wanted criminals, most notably Boris Berezovsky, a billionaire who was a major Kremlin power broker in the 1990s but later fell out with Vladimir Putin.

Moscow has repeatedly sought Berezovsky's extradition since he was granted political asylum in Britain in 2003, but London has refused.

Other prominent London-based Russian fugitives include Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev and eccentric businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, the founder of Russia's larget phone retailer.

Chichvarkin fled to Britain last year after coming under investigation on kidnapping and extortion charges that he claims were trumped up.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100226/tuk-russian-prosecutor-blasts-londongrad-a7ad41d.html

[Raymanoff]

Silos are ready and pointed to Londongrad my comrad.

Chichevarkin went into politics, into opposition which angered some people who helped him gain his wealth. He resigned as soon as they've launched an investigation and then fled to UK. Why people bother with politics when they are so rich? Bloody hell, get a penthouse in Monaco and bang models on a 100foot yacht all day long.

[B25]

Silos are ready and pointed to Londongrad my comrad.

Chichevarkin went into politics, into opposition which angered some people who helped him gain his wealth. He resigned as soon as they've launched an investigation and then fled to UK. Why people bother with politics when they are so rich? Bloody hell, get a penthouse in Monaco and bang models on a 100foot yacht all day long.

man don't I wish.