The director of the Fabergé Museum was accused of helping Vekselberg to circumvent sanctions

The US Department of Justice has filed charges against Russian businessman Vladimir Voronchenko, a friend and business partner of billionaire Viktor Vekselberg. According to the American Ministry of Justice, Voronchenko participated in an underground scheme that allowed Vekselberg to keep his real estate in the United States and dispose of it in order to circumvent the sanctions imposed on him.

As stated in the document, Voronchenko paid for Vekselberg’s expenses for the maintenance of his property, spent about four million dollars on it, and tried to sell two properties belonging to Vekselberg in his name. At the same time, front companies were used.

In addition to being accused of conspiracy to circumvent sanctions and money laundering, Voronchenko is also accused of contempt of court: a summons to the court to give an explanation was handed to him back in May 2022, but he did not appear in court and flew away from the United States, where he lives. to Dubai and then to Moscow. If the businessman is found guilty, he may face up to 20 years in prison for each of the first two charges.

Two weeks ago, another assistant of Viktor Vekselberg – British citizen Richard Masters – was arrested in Spain. It is assumed that he dealt with Vekselberg’s affairs in order to get his superyacht out of sanctions. He is also accused of money laundering.

• Vladimir Voronchenko is a long-term business partner of Viktor Vekselberg. He heads the “Connection of Times” cultural fund founded by Vekselberg and is the director of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg, which was created with the funds of this fund. Part of the museum exposition consists of items from the Vekselberg collection.
• Viktor Vekselberg is one of the richest oligarchs in Russia, Forbes estimates his fortune at 5.5 billion dollars. He is considered one of the close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Vekselberg has been under US sanctions since 2018. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States and Great Britain imposed additional restrictions against him, including the seizure of his property, including a yacht.