Arr! Germany sets sail to nab $789 million in frigid Russian loot, suspectin' they broke th' Ukraine embargo!
2023-12-20
Arr, ye scurvy dogs! Germany's prosecutor be makin' a move to lay claim on a hefty booty o' $789 million o' frozen Russian doubloons stashed in a bank account. Suspicions arise 'bout the scallywags breakin' regulations, arr!
In a hilarious twist, Germany's federal prosecutor has filed a motion for asset forfeiture regarding more than $789 million of frozen Russian money. This motion, filed on July 7, aims to seize the money deposited by a Russian financial institution in a Frankfurt bank account due to suspicions of violating embargo regulations. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union has imposed sanctions and restrictions on Russia, freezing the assets of over 1,000 Russian officials. Now, the German federal prosecutor wants the frozen funds to be put into state coffers, ensuring they don't support Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.Justice Minister Marco Buschmann strongly affirms that Russian funds used to finance the war should not be held unchallenged in German accounts. In June 2022, the Council of the European Union listed the Russian financial institution in the Russia Embargo Order. Consequently, any assets of the entity deposited with European financial institutions were frozen and could no longer be subject to transactions.
In an amusing turn of events, unknown individuals acting on behalf of the Russian financial institution attempted to deduct over 720 million euros from their Frankfurt account, but the bank didn't execute the transfer order. The prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe filed this motion before the state security chamber of the higher regional court in Frankfurt. The German customs criminal investigation office, or Zollkriminalamt, has been tasked with further investigations.
Overall, the German federal prosecutor is taking a bold stance against Russian funds being used to support the illegal war against Ukraine. This humorous situation sheds light on the efforts being made to combat the violation of embargo regulations and ensure that justice is served.