Multiple Investigations into Financial Crimes in the Former Soviet Union Mushroom

Investigations of questionable financial transactions from the former Soviet Union by multiple law enforcement agencies continue to capture headlines and have enormous law enforcement and political implications. On October 11, 1999, the Swiss Federal Office for Police Matters confirmed that itself, the U.S. and the U.K., at the request of Russian authorities, have started an investigation into Lev Chernoi, the powerful Russian businessman who dominates Russia’s privatized aluminum industry. According to the Swiss authorities, the case is focused on allegations of money laundering and connections with organized crime. The local prosecutor in the canton of Geneva will handle the investigation...[more]