The Court of Appeal found it proven that the money constituted proceeds of crime and ruled that it should be confiscated. The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which has decided not to hear the appeal. This means that the decision is final and enforceable. The money, seized in 2014, will be confiscated by the Norwegian state.
The money was transferred to Norway from accounts belonging to companies registered in tax havens, which in turn had received the money from persons and companies in Russia.
"This is an important decision. We hope it sends a signal that Norway is not somewhere where you should try to launder money,” says Public Prosecutor Joakim Ziesler Berge of the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim).
Evidence collected abroad
The money was mostly transferred from accounts, in multiple countries, held by entities owned or controlled by a person involved in what appeared to be legal logistics operations. The investigation has led the investigators to several foreign countries, including Cyprus, Latvia and Switzerland.
"It has now been finally decided that the money which ended up in the Russian national’s Norwegian accounts, was not legally acquired,” says Berge.
The case originated with suspicious transaction reports, submitted by Norwegian banks to Økokrim’s Financial Intelligence Unit, which provided grounds for opening a case.
Contact:
kommunikasjon.okokrim@politiet.no
23 29 10 30 (08.00-15.00)