Moscow court finds Russian nationalist guilty of money laundering
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 24 August 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Moscow court finds Russian nationalist guilty of money laundering, 24 August 2016, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/57db9a4228.html [accessed 25 September 2016] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 24, 2016
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Aleksandr Potkin, also known as Aleksandr Belov, at his court hearing in Moscow on August 24.
A Moscow court has sentenced to prison the leader of the banned "Russians" nationalist movement on extremism and money laundering charges.
The court on August 24 found Aleksandr Potkin, also known as Belov, guilty of creating an extremist group and laundering money stolen from Kazakhstan's BTA bank and sentenced him to 7 1/2 years in jail the same day.
Potkin is an alleged associate of Kazakh tycoon Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is in custody in France.
The court also found Potkin guilty of creating an extremist group.
Potkin was arrested in October 2014 on suspicion of being involved in the embezzlement of $5 billion from BTA bank in Kazakhstan. He denies any wrongdoing and says the case against him is politically motivated.
The main suspect in the case, BTA's former chief, Ablyazov, is wanted by Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine.
Ablyazov, a Kazakh government critic, was arrested on the French Riviera in July 2013.
He is currently fighting against a court ruling to extradite him to Russia.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
