The property has been recognized as material evidence in the case of multi-million dollar fraud with Ukrainian grain.
In Florence, elite real estate worth tens of millions of euros, acquired by a businessman of Russian origin with money stolen from the sale of Ukrainian grain, has been seized. The arrest was made possible thanks to the cooperation of SAP, NABU and the competent authorities of the Italian Republic.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine reported this on its page on the social network Facebook.
“At the request of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine for international legal assistance, the Financial Guard of Florence (Italy) has seized the property of a businessman of Russian origin, a representative of an international grain trader,” the statement said.
The SAPO reported that the property in question is a castle worth 41 million euros in Florence. The property was recognized as material evidence in the case of damages in the amount of over 60 million US dollars incurred by PJSC State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine as a result of criminal actions of a group of persons.
“As part of the pre-trial investigation, it was established that during July-October 2014, officials of the state grain corporation organized the conclusion and execution of foreign trade contracts for the sale of grain products of PJSC GFGCU at reduced prices to controlled enterprises,” the prosecutor's office explained.
According to the criminal scheme, grain belonging to the state company was sent to Saudi Arabia. The deal was concluded on deferred payment terms through a number of traders, probably so that the grain trail and the money paid for it by the end buyer would eventually be “lost”.
The State Grain Corporation never received more than $60 million for the agricultural products it supplied. The investigation tracked the movement of funds and found out that part of them were spent by one of the defendants in the case on purchasing a castle in Florence.
We remind you that Ukrainian agricultural products from the occupied territories are sold, in particular, to the European Union, which violates the established sanctions regime. Journalists tracked the routes along which Russian companies exported about 34 thousand tons of Ukrainian grain in 2023.
Similar topics:
More news
