“We cannot provide any further information at the moment,” said a spokesman for the agency. The villa, in an area where there are also numerous embassies, was secured with yellow caution tape. What happened before In 2018, the US imposed sanctions on the aluminum magnate, who is considered a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At that time, the US Treasury Department said that Deripaska was being investigated for money laundering and extortion, among other things. There are also allegations that Deripaska bribed a government official. He is even said to have ordered the murder of a businessman.
In March 2019, the oligarch sued the sanctions in the United States. Among other things, he complained about losses of billions as a result of the punitive measures. The lawsuit was dismissed. Deripaska apparently also had contacts with Paul Manafort, the campaign manager of Donald Trump before the presidential election in 2016. According to court documents, Manafort Deripaska offered confidential information and survey results about the presidential race, reports the “Kurier”.
The empire of Deripaska also includes the automobile group GAZ, in which ex-Magna boss Siegfried Wolf holds a stake. With a consortium, Wolf took over the MAN plant in Steyr this year, which is now cooperating with GAZ.