By Elizabeth Hearst for AMLi
Officials in the United States have been authorised to seize a $90M (€87.9M) aeroplane owned by sanctioned Russian Oligarch, Andrei Skoch.
The warrant issued Monday by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York found that the Airbus A319-100 was subject to seizure and forfeiture based on “probable cause” of violation of federal anti-money laundering laws.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Andrei Skoch as a Specially Designated National (SDN) in 2018, due to his “longstanding ties” to Russian organised criminal groups.
Skoch was also sanctioned for being an official of the Government of the Russian Federation, as well as his role as a deputy of the Russian Federation’s State Duma.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February this year, OFAC issued further sanctions against Skoch and his assets.
In March, OFAC further designated Skoch and other Duma members for “supporting the Kremlin’s efforts to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. In June, OFAC identified the aeroplane as “blocked property” in which the Oligarch had an interest.
In a statement, the US DOJ said Skoch is the beneficial owner of the aeroplane through a “series of shell companies and trusts tied to his romantic partner”.
Following OFAC’s designation of Skoch in April 2018, US dollar transactions were made to pay for the aeroplane’s registration in Aruba and for aviation insurance premiums, until 2021.
The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture established in March this year.
Read the full press release HERE:
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