According to the investigation, conducted by the Guardian, several largest British banks were involved in the international scheme of laundering large amounts of money, withdrawn from Russia, BBC reports.
According to the edition, not less than 700 mln dollars were transferred through British banks, while more than a half of them – through HSBC.
The Guardian article refers to the so-called “Landromate”, which became known back in 2014 after the investigation of the Russian New Newspaper, conducted jointly with the international organization of journalists-investigators Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
It is considered that within this scheme from 2011 to 2014, USD 22 bln were withdrawn from Russia under the guise of execution of judicial decisions, approved by Moldovan judges. The money was withdrawn to Moldova, then – to Latvia, then – to other EU countries, including UK.
Last Monday, Reuters agency and New Newspaper reported that the investigation about withdrawal of USD 22 bln from Russia through Moldova is hindered by FSS officials.
As the Guardian journalists noted, their investigation was based on the examination of banking reporting.
The representatives of all British banks, mentioned in the material, insist that they fully observe the law and undertake measures for fighting with money laundering.
In last December, the British banks were caught in the center of a scandal with money laundering in Singapore and Malaysia.
