The founder of the Wagner mercenary group passed UK LAWERS KYC checks with his mother’s utility bill.
23/02/2023
The Financial Times have reported that
- Yevgeny Prigozhin the sanctions-hit founder of the Wagner mercenary group
- Was able to pass a UK law firms [Discreet Law] anti-money laundering checks by submitting a utility bill in the name of his 81-year-old mother Violetta Prigozhina,
Violetta Prigozhina, now 83, was placed under sanctions by the EU last year [2022] for her support of her son’s mercenary activities.
The KYC story.
Prigozhin hired Discreet Law in 2021 to sue the UK journalist Eliot Higgins for libel for suggesting the Russian was connected to Wagner.
the Financial Times have reported they have seen Leaked emails that show.
- London-based law firm Discreet Law in 2021 requested identification documents from Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, as part of anti-money laundering checks, before taking him on as a client.
In response to Discreet’s request for documents from Prigozhin, his Russian lawyers forwarded the law firm.
- A copy of his passport and a gas bill in the name of the Wagner boss’s then 81-year-old mother, Violetta, for an address in St Petersburg.
They Russian lawyers wrote:
- “The bill is issued in the name of the claimant’s mother (Violetta Prigozhina) who actually lives at the client’s residential address and pays the bills.”
In response, a solicitor at Discreet Law replied:
- “We are satisfied with the [anti-money laundering] documents.”
Discreet Law founder Roger Gherson DECLINED to respond to questions about
- Whether other steps were taken by the firm to vet Prigozhin before taking him on as a client, or
- Why it accepted his mother’s gas bill in its anti-money laundering checks.
He said Discreet Law
- “Cannot comment on confidential communications with their former clients”.
- “Discreet Law’s position is that in taking instructions and undertaking due diligence they have at all times complied fully with their legal and professional obligations,”
Read the full story here.
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As well as owning and publishing Comsure's copyrighted works, Comsure wishes to use the copyright-protected works of others. To do so, Comsure is applying for exemptions in the UK copyright law. There are certain very specific situations where Comsure is permitted to do so without seeking permission from the owner. These exemptions are in the copyright sections of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended)[www.gov.UK/government/publications/copyright-acts-and-related-laws]. Many situations allow for Comsure to apply for exemptions. These include 1] Non-commercial research and private study, 2] Criticism, review and reporting of current events, 3] the copying of works in any medium as long as the use is to illustrate a point. 4] no posting is for commercial purposes [payment]. (for a full list of exemptions, please read here www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright]. Concerning the exceptions, Comsure will acknowledge the work of the source author by providing a link to the source material. Comsure claims no ownership of non-Comsure content. The non-Comsure articles posted on the Comsure website are deemed important, relevant, and newsworthy to a Comsure audience (e.g. regulated financial services and professional firms [DNFSBs]). Comsure does not wish to take any credit for the publication, and the publication can be read in full in its original form if you click the articles link that always accompanies the news item. Also, Comsure does not seek any payment for highlighting these important articles. If you want any article removed, Comsure will automatically do so on a reasonable request if you email info@comsuregroup.com.