Russian prosecutors push to seize virtual assets alleged to be bribes from a former Interior Ministry official
Summary
- The Russian prosecutor's office is reportedly seeking to seize Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) alleged to have been received as bribes by former Interior Ministry official Georgy Satyukov.
- The assets targeted for seizure are $184 million worth of Bitcoin and $30 million worth of Ethereum.
- The outlet reported that it is focusing on the fact that virtual assets are linked to bribery and the flow of funds in this case.
The Russian prosecutor's office is pushing to seize Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) that are alleged to have been received as bribes by former Interior Ministry official Georgy Satyukov. On the 3rd (local time), crypto asset specialist media outlet DL News reported that the assets targeted for seizure are $184 million worth of Bitcoin and $30 million worth of Ethereum.
The outlet reported that Satyukov is accused of accepting bribes from the operator of the crypto exchange WEX between March and October 2021 in exchange for blocking criminal prosecution. Satyukov is reported to be currently on the run.
WEX is a crypto exchange that acquired the BTC-e exchange in 2017. The exchange was reportedly closed after its founder Alexander Vinnik was arrested in 2018 on charges of fraud and money laundering.
The Russian prosecutor's office is pursuing procedures to identify and seize virtual assets suspected of being obtained as bribes. The outlet reported that it is focusing on the link between virtual assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and the alleged bribery and flow of funds.
JH Kim
reporter1@bloomingbit.ioHi, I'm a Bloomingbit reporter, bringing you the latest cryptocurrency news.
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