Roldugin opened accounts at Gazprombank in Zurich in 2014. This is the investment bank of the Russian gas giant of the same name. The millions Roldugin deposited into the account until 2016 including his may not be his. In Switzerland, it is necessary to investigate the origin of deposits if there are doubts about this. The total amount deposited by Roldugin is around 30 million euros.
The identity of the real owner of the disputed millions has not been confirmed. There are suspicions that Roldugin is serving as the chief financial officer of Russian President Putin. Guys are good friends. Roldugin is godfather to Putin’s eldest daughter, Maria.
About the author
Joram Paul is the general correspondent for De Volkskrant.
The judge did not blame the four bankers, three Russians and one Swiss, for not being able to trace the owner of the money. However, they should have established that the source of the funds could not be determined. Given the political situation in Russia and the fact that the Russian oligarchs were known to hoard money abroad through shady schemes, the bankers could have suspected that the case could not be trusted.
Roldugin was not questioned until 2016, despite the fact that he was not known as a businessman and had opened an investment bank account. The account was closed after no response.
Roldugin is also known as “Putin’s wallet”. The cellist himself said in 2014 New York times He “doesn’t have millions.” At the time, he had $350 million to his name. In 2016, the Panama Papers revealed that Roldugin was involved in a vast network of offshore companies potentially connected to Putin.
The bankers were fined 741,000 Swiss francs (744,000 euros). However, it is conditional, with a two-year probationary period. But they are appealing the ruling. It was reasonable, they think, that Roldogen himself should be rich.
Remarkably, the lawyers cited the same defense as the prosecution, albeit with a different conclusion: Roldugin was a friend of Putin and thus had access to the “private financial resources” that enabled him to build up his considerable wealth.
