"Swiss court tries banker linked to 'Putin's funds'"
Swiss bankers on trial for managing money belonging to a Russian musician linked to Putin. The origins of the funds for Sergey Roldugin aren't under scrutiny. Four bankers who were convicted seek to overturn the guilty verdict. They claim innocence and request acquittals.
Swiss appeals court proceedings are underway regarding potential assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Four former employees of the liquidated Swiss subsidiary of Russia's Gazprombank have appealed the Supreme Court's earlier ruling. In March 2023, the Zurich District Court determined that the bankers were negligent in creating and managing accounts for musician Sergey Roldugin.
The defendants were found to not have verified thoroughly if the funds were indeed Roldugin's. The case doesn't involve determining the previous owner of the money or whether it was derived from illicit sources. The main focus is whether sufficient clarification was made, the presiding judge clarified. The four defendants faced fines ranging from 48,000 to 540,000 francs, which would be due within two years if they got into trouble again.
The defendants contest the accusations and insist on being cleared. There was no reason to question the musician's financial justification, so further investigation was unnecessary. In 2014, two accounts were established at the Gazprombank in Zurich under Roldugin's authority. He is reportedly the godfather of one of Putin's daughters and was also listed on the Swiss sanctions list after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to the list, Roldugin is known as "Putin's briefcase" in Moscow.
The possibility of a musician managing such substantial amounts is implausible, the indictment states. He is a stand-in. Swiss banks are required to reject or terminate business partnerships if doubts exist about the identity of the partner. The District Court's indictment alleges that the four bankers failed to perform the necessary clarifications and maintained the accounts until September 2016. The trial is set for a single day. The judges cannot make a verdict public before the evening at the earliest. The appeal then moves to the Federal Court, the supreme Swiss court.
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In the ongoing appeals court proceedings, the focus is on potential assets linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The four former employees of Gazprom's Swiss subsidiary are challenging an earlier Supreme Court ruling. Switzerland's Justice system is currently evaluating whether the bankers were negligent in managing the accounts of musician Sergey Roldugin, who is associated with Putin. The trial in Zurich involved allegations of insufficient clarification of the origin of the funds, not a determination of the original owner or question of illicit sources.
Source: www.ntv.de
