A Russian court has seized the British estate of former Bank of Moscow chief Andrei Borodin, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.
Borodin, who is accused of multi-billion dollar embezzlement in Russia, bought the Park Place estate in Berkshire five years ago for £140 million ($200 million), the Kommersant newspaper reported.
The estate was seized on Wednesday as part of the ongoing criminal case against Borodin, said the spokesperson for Moscow's Tverskoy District Court, Anastasia Dzyurko.
The criminal investigation states that Borodin bought the estate with money stolen from the Bank of Moscow. The purchase of the estate was completed in 2011, when Borodin and his first deputy Dmitry Akulinin were already involved in a criminal case of large-scale fraud. Losses caused to the bank by its the former head are estimated at 62 billion rubles ($958 million).
This is not the first time Russia has seized Borodin's assets in connection with embezzlement at the Bank of Moscow. In October 2012, assets worth $400 million were seized, including funds from Swiss bank accounts, plots of land and luxury cars, Kommersant reported.
Borodin fled to London in 2011 and was placed on Interpol's wanted list. In 2013, the banker announced he had been granted political asylum by the British authorities.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
