Swiss court hears case of Gazprombank over alleged Putin funds

Defendants leaving a Zurich district court which has heard a case against employees of a Russian bank accused of violating diligence regulations in a case of an alleged friend of Vladimir Putin. © Keystone/Ennio Leanza

Four employees of the Russian Gazprombank in Switzerland have appeared in a Swiss court, accused of lacking diligence in financial transactions.

The prosecution alleges that a well-known concert cellist, Sergey Roldugin, linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin moved millions of francs through Swiss bank accounts without any proper checks between 2014 and 2016.

Sums of around CHF30 million ($31.8 million) are involved in the case according to the public prosecutor who is seeking suspended sentences of seven months for each of the four bankers.

The four defendants – three Russians who worked in Zurich and one Swiss – all denied the allegations against them at the hearing. They allegedly failed to do enough to determine the identity of the beneficial owner of the funds.

A verdict from the Zurich district court is expected to be announced at the end of March.

Gazprombank announced last October it would cease operations from Switzerland.

+ Read more about the case of Gazprombank

Two accounts

Roldugin was named the owner of two accounts opened at Gazprombank Switzerland in 2014, into which flowed millions of francs from Russia.

This was despite Roldugin – who appears on the Swiss list of sanctioned Russians – having no listed activity as a businessman on his bank documents.

At the time, the musician was quoted in the press as saying that he was certainly not a businessman and did not himself own millions, according to the indictment.

Roldugin was among scores of members of Putin’s inner circle sanctioned by the West, including Switzerland, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The case highlights how people like Roldugin were used as “strawmen” – a way to the hide true owners of the money, the indictment said.

Little trace

There is little trace of Putin’s assets.

“It is well known that Russian President Putin officially only has an income of CHF100,000, and is not wealthy, but in fact has enormous assets which are managed by persons close to him,” the indictment said.

Putin has in the past said that Roldugin is a friend, a brilliant musician and benefactor who has honestly earned some money from a minority stake in a Russian company.

The Kremlin has previously dismissed any suggestion that Roldugin’s funds are linked to the Russian leader as anti-Russian “Putinophobia”. Putin’s finances are a matter of public record, says the Kremlin, saying he has regularly declared his assets and salary to Russian voters.

US sanctions

Roldugin has already been targeted by United States sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The US treasury department has described him as part of a system that manages Putin’s offshore wealth.

He has also been sanctioned in Switzerland, whose government referred to him as “Putin’s wallet” in its list of blocked people.