The Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office of Spain issued international warrant for the arrest of Ukrainian gas magnate Dmitrii Firtash on suspicion of laundering large amounts of money, the Prosecution Office representative informed, DW reports.

As reported, Firtash was put on the wanted list together with his two associates – citizens of Ukraine.

He denied telling surnames of these individuals, explaining his refusal with “interests of investigation”.

On November 24, the interlocutor of the edition also noted that alongside with issuing search warrant in Barcelona and in the resort city of Marbella, five other associates of Firtash were arrested.

They actually laundered capitals of the Ukrainian oligarch. Among the detainees, there is a famous Spanish attorney Antonio de Fortuni.

According to the prosecution office, these people created several offshore companies in Panama for Firtash, though the certain part of capitals was invested in properties, located in Spain.

According to the interlocutor, the Firtash’s case is considered by the Prosecutor’s Office within Variola operation, initiated on July 2016 from the arrest of the son of former Kyiv’s mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi – Stepan Chernovetskyi, and other 11 individuals, also suspected of money laundering, in Barcelona.

Stepan Chernovetskyi was released from arrest in summer, but he still remains on remand.

The documents, found during searches on Chernovestkyi’s case, helped investigators to close in on Firtash, the Prosecutor’s Office representative noted.

In the meantime, he doubted that Ukrainian oligarch will ever fall into the hands of Spanish justice system, considering that US Federal Bureau of Investigation is searching for Firtash for several years to no avail in regard to more serious charges, including giving bribe in exchange for license for titanium deposit development in India.