US indicts Swiss-Russian EU dual nationality corruption scandal: Eva Kaili remains in prison

The US has charged a Swiss-Russian dual national and a Briton. They are said to have helped a Russian oligarch hit by US sanctions to ensure his superyacht is not seized.

The 51-year-old dual national is on the run, while the other suspect, a 52-year-old Briton, has been arrested in Spain, the US Justice Department said.

The two men are accused of helping Viktor Vekselberg, a close ally of Putin, cover up ownership of the yacht Tango. The yacht is valued at $90 million. As head of the Renova Group, a Moscow-based conglomerate, Vekselberg was placed on the US sanctions list in 2018 in the wake of the Russian invasion of Crimea.

The US prosecutor accuses the 52-year-old Briton, who runs a shipping company in Palma de Mallorca, of calling the ship “Fanta” in order to continue working with US suppliers despite the sanctions.

The two men would have enabled the yacht’s employees to continue doing business with American companies. They would have paid in currencies other than the dollar and used intermediaries, it was said.

The 78-meter ship was finally seized by Spain in April at the request of the US. In March, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced it would set up a special unit to prosecute “corrupt Russian oligarchs” and anyone who violates Washington’s sanctions against Moscow. (sda/afp)