the Russian oligarchs Arkady and Boris Rotenberg were trying to circumvent the imposed sanctions against them the United States, using the art market. This is stated in the report presented on Wednesday by members of the permanent Subcommittee on investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on homeland security and governmental Affairs.
the report, which summarizes the results of a two-year investigation, says that the art market of the USA is not regulated by the norms of the legislation on combating money laundering. The result is a multimillion-dollar transaction in this area can be conducted in the interests of the people who were previously included in the sanctions list.
according to the authors of the report, that such transactions are conducted in the interests of the companies Rotenberg Moscow art consultant, US citizen Gregory baltzer.
According to the senators, from may to November 2014, i.e. after the introduction of Arkady and Boris Rotenberg in the sanctions list of the USA, Balzer presumably bought with the money associated with the business of the companies works of art totaling $ 18 million, including the painting of Rene Magritte La Poitrine cost of $ 7.5 million.
As suggested by the senators, associated with the oligarchs of the company after the imposition of sanctions has made transactions of more than 91 million dollars. Almost 122 million dollars were withdrawn to Russia between 16 March and 20 March 2014.
20 Mar 2014 as a result of joining of Crimea to Russia the US President Barack Obama signed a decree, according to which his government imposed sanctions on the Rotenberg brothers.
