The Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office has opened a money-laundering investigation against Russia’s former Deputy Agriculture Minister Alexei Bazhanov. He is accused by Russia of having embezzled state funds, part of which allegedly ended up in Swiss banks.
A spokesman from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it had opened the investigation at the beginning of 2013, following an article published by the Tages-Anzeiger and Der Bund newspapers on Wednesday.
Bazhanov is accused by the Russian authorities of having embezzled one billion roubles (CHF15 million) in 2008-2009 together with accomplices from the Russian state company Rosagroleasing, which is at the centre of a financial scandal, the prosecutor’s office said.