Special Features

Swiss Money Laundering Investigation in the Magnitsky Case Widens With New Requests Sent to Multiple Swiss Financial Institutions and Accounts Frozen

January 10, 2013

Press Release
Hermitage Capital

9 January 2013 – The Swiss Prosecutor has widened its probe into the money laundering involving Russian officials connected to the crimes uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky. The Swiss authorities have sent requests to multiple financial institutions and frozen accounts, reported Tages-Anzeiger, one of Switzerland’s main newspapers.

A number of bank accounts have been frozen containing millions of funds in unspecified currency, according to the newspaper article “Suspicion of Money Laundering: Confederation Blocked Millions” (http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/standard/Verdacht-auf-Geldwaescherei-Bund-blockiert-Millionen/story/10790179).

This information comes on top of a previous announcement by the Swiss authorities that they froze accounts at Credit Suisse in Zurich last year belonging to Vladlen Stepanov, former husband of a senior Russian tax official Olga Stepanova, who approved numerous illegal tax refunds through which hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen from the Russian treasury. Some of the funds in the frozen Swiss accounts had been used to buy luxury real estate in Dubai for Russian tax officials and their families. Following the revelation of the Swiss action, Mr Stepanov stated that approximately 8 million Euros in his Swiss accounts had been frozen. It is not specified who the persons are who are now connected to the widening Swiss probe.

“All financial transactions leave a permanent and inerasable trail. Those who were connected to the theft and laundering of the money, and the false arrest and killing of Sergei Magnitsky to cover it up may be able to get away with murder, but they won’t be able now to hide the proceeds of their crime in the West,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.

The Russian authorities have recognised that $230 million had been stolen from the Russian treasury and blamed it on a sawmill employee and a jobless man. They contended that the money could not be traced because bank records blew up in a truck explosion. As of now, not a single Russian official involved in the $230 million fraudulent tax refund and theft has been prosecuted.

In the meantime, Russian authorities have acquitted Dmitry Kratov, former head of Butyrka detention center and the only official brought to trial for the death of Sergei Magnitsky. The acquittal of Mr Kratov was requested by the Russian state prosecutor in an unusual U-turn just four days after the public claim by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Sergei Magnitsky had not been “tortured” and had died of “heart failure” in spite of the documentary evidence of the use of rubber baton and injuries on his body revealed during his funeral.

For further information please contact:

Hermitage Capital
Phone:             +44 207 440 1777
Email:              info@lawandorderinrussia.org
Website:          http://lawandorderinrussia.org
Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/hvIuVI
Twitter:           @KatieFisher__
Livejournal:     //hermitagecap.livejournal.com/

New IHRDC Testimony: Behrouz Javid Tehrani and Eghbal Moradi

January 10, 2013

The Cost of Not Staying Silent
Behrouz Javid Tehrani, an Iranian journalist and former student activist, describes the conditions and experiences of his imprisonment in Iranian jails between 1999 and 2011. In particular, he discusses the treatment he and others endured at Rajaee Shahr prison — where he spent the majority of his more than 11 years long imprisonment.

Watch his video testimony here
Read his witness statement here

A Father’s Statement About His Son on Death Row
In recent days, there has been renewed concern that the implementation of the death sentences for Zanyar and Loghman Moradi, two ethnic Kurds on death row since December 2010, may be imminent. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) has followed these cases carefully as part of itsongoing effort to document abuses against Kurdish activists in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Now, IHRDC releases a previously unpublished witness statement from Eghbal Moradi, the father of Zanyar Moradi and a former Komala member. In his statement, Eghbal Moradi maintains that his son is innocent of all the charges against him and that Zanyar has been targeted because of his father’s previous political opposition activities.

Read his witness statement here

Women’s Rights in Syria, a Paradigm Change?

January 10, 2013

HIVOS Publication

British Prime Minister Statement on Patrick Finucane

December 13, 2012

Magnitsky Sanctions Will be Discussed in Hearings in the Canadian Parliament Tomorrow

December 11, 2012

Press Release
Hermitage Capital

10 December 2012 – Tomorrow, Magnitsky sanctions will be discussed at hearings in the Parliament of Canada. William Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, will speak at the Canadian Parliament’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. Another speaker at the subcommittee is Vladimir Kara-Murza, from the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. They will both discuss the case of Sergei Magnitsky, theimpunity of Russian officials who were involved in his false arrest, torture and death, and the need for Canada to adopt visa sanctions and asset freezes against those Russian officials who were involved in Magnitsky’s death.

Last year, Irwin Cotler MP and former Attorney General of Canada, introduced a piece of legislation into the Canadian Parliament entitled “An Act to condemn corruption and impunity in Russia in the case and death of Sergei Magnitsky.”

This bill establishes a process by which the Canadian government must prepare a list of individuals responsible for the torture and death of Sergei Magnitsky, for the conspiracy to defraud the Russian federation of taxes paid by Hermitage Capital, and for efforts to shield those culpable of those gross violations of human rights. It imposes restrictions on the listed individuals and their family members, such that they are inadmissible for the purposes of entering or remaining in Canada.

The bill notes that “no objective official investigation has been conducted by the Russian government into the Magnitsky case, despite extensive documented evidence incriminating Russian officials in serious human rights violations, in the embezzlement of funds from the Russian treasury, and in the retaliation against Mr. Magnitsky”, and that those individual persons have not been “identified, apprehended and brought to justice in Russia.”

“The ongoing impunity, and indeed, in this instance shocking impunity, regarding Russian officials is as scandalous as it is shocking. This legislation would uphold the rule of law, would assure Russian human rights defenders that they are not alone, would protect Canadian business interests in Russia, and in particular would remember and honour the heroic sacrifice of Sergei Magnitsky. He acted on behalf of all of us in his protection of the rule of law,” said Irwin Cotler, MP.

For further information please contact:

Information on the session at the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5922854&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1

Information on the An Act to condemn corruption and impunity in Russia in the case and death of Sergei Magnitsky”
http://openparliament.ca/bills/41-1/C-339/