The United States accused two people of protecting the assets of a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin

USA presented criminal charges against two individuals whom he accuses of having carried out maneuvers that allowed prevent the seizure of a super yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch.

As reported this Friday by the US Department of Justice, it is about Vladislav Osipov, 51, with dual nationality -Russian and Swiss- and the British Richard Masters, 52, who are accused of evading sanctions and money laundering in relation to “Tango” the vessel valued at 90 million dollars.

The super yacht measures 78 meters and belongs to Viktor Vekselbergclose to the president Vladimir Putin. The oligarch has been sanctioned by the United States for years and, more recently, after the war that Russia waged in Ukraine, they intensified.

This Friday, masters it was arrested in spain by a request from Washington, which awaits your extradition. While Osipov it keeps fugitive of Justice, although a similar order weighs on him.

According to investigations carried out by US authorities, after billionaire Vekselberg – head of the Renova Group conglomerate – was sanctioned in 2018, Osipov and Masters used shell companies to hide ownership and ensure the yacht’s continued use.

The sanctions ordered by the United States imply the blocking of all assets that those involved had under the jurisdiction of the country, as well as the prohibition of local people or entities from doing business with them.

Masters ran a yacht management company in Palma de Mallorca so with great ease he changed the name of the vessel to “Fanta” to help circumvent the sanctions restrictions and keep it running.

“Osipov and Masters advised and allowed ‘Tango’ employees to continue doing business for hundreds of thousands of dollars obtained illegally with numerous American companies using various schemes to avoid sanctions, such as payments in other currencies and through third parties, all for the benefit of Vekselberg,” the Department of Justice added in this regard.

In this sense, the indictment released in the last few hours points out that the two men are facing charges for defraud america and commit crimes against the country for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Actas well as money launderingby continuing to exploit the vessel economically.

The yacht was finally seized in April 2022 in Spain.

Although these penalties on the elite have been in force for years, since march The United States is running a cell dedicated especially to prosecuting “corrupt Russian oligarchs” and to all those who violate the sanctions adopted by Washington against Moscow.

“Sanctions evasion enablers allow oligarchs who support the Vladimir Putin regime to circumvent US law. The United States will not allow its financial institutions to be manipulated or defrauded in order to benefit those who support an illegal war.”, declared the federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, in line with this emphasis of the authorities to punish this type of action.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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