Czech authorities are pressing charges against a Russian citizen for allegedly breaching international sanctions. The individual in question is accused of facilitating money transfers to a Russian oligarch who has been on the EU sanctions list since 2015 due to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The spokesperson for the National Centre against Organised Crime, Jaroslav Ibehej, disclosed this information to the Czech News Agency.
The accused, identified as Dmitry Kalantyrsky, a businessman originally from Ukraine, is said to have committed the offense of transferring funds on behalf of the oligarch in 2015, some of which were used within the Czech Republic. The investigation, initiated by the headquarters on 2 August, is currently supervised by Prague’s chief prosecutor’s office. Despite the criminal proceedings, Kalantyrsky remains at large.
According to a report by daily N, Kalantyrsky has been residing in the Czech Republic since 2014. As part of the ongoing investigation, the police have sealed one of the buildings linked to him. However, the businessman denies the charges and claims that the money he received came from his business partners when he left Russia. He maintains that the Russian oligarch, Rotenberg, had no involvement with the company during that time. Kalantyrsky admits to having had business dealings with Rotenberg for more than two decades but asserts that they are no longer in contact.
The media also reported that brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg have longstanding ties to Putin, having trained judo together in their youth. They are now among the wealthiest Russians, partly due to receiving significant state contracts from Putin’s regime. Notably, they were involved in constructing the bridge from Russia to Crimea, which has become a symbol of Russia’s occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula.
Under the Czech Criminal Code, violations of international sanctions can lead to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine. The severity of punishment may be heightened depending on the scale of the violation and the resulting damages. In cases where the act significantly contributes to breaching international peace and security, combating terrorism, or promoting democracy and the rule of law, the sentence could extend to up to eight years in prison.
Source: ceskenoviny.cz
