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| Julius Baer bank logo in Zurich, Switzerland. (Source: Reuters) |
According to Tamedia , the family of Mr. Alexander Ponomarenko - head of the water company Mosvodokanal in Russia - "kept millions of dollars in Switzerland, even after the special military operation in Ukraine broke out".
According to documents obtained by Tamedia , in June 2022, Ponomarenko’s daughter “almost simultaneously” opened an account at Reyl Bank in Zurich. Shortly thereafter, the documents reveal, she deposited $9.5 million there.
As of November 2022, Ponomarenko's girlfriend had nearly $26 million in Julius Baer bank and $4.5 million in Pictet bank.
Switzerland has decided to comply with European Union (EU) sanctions against Moscow - just four days after Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine.
In 2022, the wealthy Alpine nation banned banks from accepting deposits from Russian citizens or people or entities based in Russia in amounts above 100,000 francs ($112,000).
Several banks, including Julius Baer, have announced they will cut ties with Moscow clients.
However, these restrictions are easily circumvented, due to other reasons that make it easy for wealthy Russians to obtain “golden passports”.
Tamedia media reported that Mr Ponomarenko's girlfriend and daughter had passports and residence permits from an EU country, allowing them to not be counted as Russian clients.
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