Russian businessman arrested in oligarchs investigation

A Russian businessman has been arrested astatine his multi-million-pound London location by officers investigating imaginable transgression enactment by oligarchs.

The man, 58, was held connected suspicion of wealth laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office and conspiracy to perpetrate perjury.

A 35-year-old antheral was arrested connected suspicion of wealth laundering.

He was besides arrested for obstructing an serviceman erstwhile trying to permission with a container containing thousands of pounds successful cash.

A 3rd man, 39, who is the erstwhile fellow of the businessman's existent partner, was arrested astatine his location successful Pimlico, cardinal London, for offences including wealth laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said much than 50 officers from its Combatting Kleptocracy Cell were progressive successful the cognition astatine the businessman's property, wherever a fig of integer devices and a important quantity of currency was seized pursuing a search.

Graeme Biggar, manager wide of the NCA, said the unit, which was established this year, was having "significant occurrence investigating imaginable transgression enactment by oligarchs".

He added: "We volition proceed to usage each the powers and tactics disposable to america to disrupt this threat."

All 3 of the arrested men, who person not been named by the NCA, person been released connected bail.

The NCA said it was the latest cognition carried retired arsenic portion of its efforts to disrupt the activities of corrupt planetary concern figures and their enablers.

Almost 100 "disruptions" - actions that region oregon trim a transgression menace - person been carried retired against Putin-linked elites and their enablers, including relationship freezing orders (AFOs) implicit accounts held by radical intimately linked to sanctioned Russians, according to the NCA.