Brazil court issues Berezovsky arrest warrant for money laundering
- Brazil
- 07/16/2007
The Brazilian federal court has issued an arrest warrant for exiled business tycoon Boris Berezovsky on charges of money laundering, Russian state news agency Itar-Tass reported Friday. Brazil also asked Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant. The case is related to a Berezovsky-linked sponsor of Brazil’s Corinthians soccer club. In 2004, the sponsor spent millions on acquiring new players for the club, which state prosecutor Jose Reinaldo Guimaraes Carneiro said aroused suspicions, as the club had been “in the red for years.” Carneiro alleged that sufficient circumstantial evidence exists linking the investment in the club, mostly by Berezovsky, with money laundering. Berezovsky, who has been living in the UK since fleeing Russia, dismissed the allegations as “an extension of the Kremlin’s politicised campaign” against him.
On Thursday a Moscow court began trying Berezovsky in absentia for allegedly embezzling millions from Russian national airline Aeroflot. Berezovsky left Russia in 2001 after falling out of favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin after vocally opposing the war in Chechnya. Russian authorities have demanded that the UK extradite Berezovsky, who is also facing charges of allegedly plotting a coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last Friday, Russia criticized the UK for its refusal to prosecute Berezovsky on charges of inciting terrorism overseas with calls to overthrow Putin by force.
