04 June 2004 22:12
Italian police probe into former Russian arms chief`s case - Duma official
[Presenter] Today Chairman of the Duma Committee on Corruption Mikhail Grishankov announced on the details of the
search for the former head of Rosvooruzheniye [Russian arms export company], Yevgeniy Ananyev.
[Grishankov] Only an internal investigation by the Italian financial police has been under way so far. I think that
after some time, if they have enough evidence, they will apply to the Prosecutor-General's Office and then to the
Italian NCB [National Central Bureau] of Interpol.
[Presenter] So, the Italian law-enforcement agencies are currently investigating the case following the Italian
prosecutor's arrest warrant for Yevgeniy Ananyev and a certain Olga Beltsova. Ananyev's current whereabouts
are unknown, while Beltsova has been put under home arrest in Italy. The Italians are accusing them of laundering money
received as a bribe from the sale of MiG fighter jets to Peru in 1998. The Italians believe that the former head of
Rosvooruzheniye, Yevgeniy Ananyev, received 18m dollars for the deal.
Ananyev headed Rosvooruzheniye from 1997 to 1998. Then he used to speak about ambitious plans to increase Russian
sales abroad.
[passage omitted]
The Italian police believes that Ananyev has appropriated part of the money. Captain Gergamo from the Italian police
said that the investigation had found that Ananyev transferred 5m of the 18m dollars to a Swiss bank, to Beltsova's
account. Shortly after, when the money was further transferred to the Italian bank Cariplo, it drew the police's
attention and the investigation started.
[NTV Mir] |
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