Judge brings back documents from US in Russian money probe
The Geneva judge, Laurent Kasper-Ansermet, has brought back several documents from the United States to help with a probe into the alleged embezzlement of loans from International Monetary Fund (IMF) by Russia.
However, on Friday he said the number of files handed over was not sufficient.
Kasper-Ansermet said that in order to continue his investigations into whether Russian IMF money of $4.8 billion was diverted into Swiss bank accounts he needed more information from legal authorities in the US.
He said that the missing material was “indispensable” for his work.
During his three-day stay, he met Justice Ministry officials in Washington, members of the parliamentary commission, charged with an inquiry into the money, as well as agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
In New York he had talks with the Federal Attorneys in charge of his requests for legal assistance.
So far, his probe has focussed on a sum of $1.4 billion, which had been transferred via a Ticinese bank to the Bank of New York.
In January the Geneva magistrate had sent a first request to the US authorities asking them for legal assistance. In February, a second one was forwarded.
However, Kasper-Ansermet said: “I filed a third request during my stay in the US, specifically asking for information about the IMF money.”
His letter asking for legal co-operation from Moscow has so far been ignored.
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