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The transfer was made by a company called EUM Global Corps, controlled by real estate businessman Roman Fuks. One of the main projects carried out by Fuks and his brother, Pavel Fuchs, was a complex of high buildings known as Moscow-City. Ordzhonikidze had supervised this project for the Moscow mayor's office before leaving office in 2007.

In 2019 an international warrant was issued for the Fuks brothers, who are wanted in Russia and Kazakhstan on the charge of embezzlement millions of dollars from the Moscow-City project.

The report on suspicious activities by Barclays (SAR) was sent to FinCEN, a US Treasury Department agency fighting money laundering and financing terrorism. It was one of more than 2,000 such reports, dating back to 2011-2017, released in 2017.

Managed by BuzzFed and Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), more than 400 journalists from over 80 countries have checked these documents and started publishing them on September 21st. Although 2,000 published reports represent only 0.02 percent of all SAR complaints filed during this period, they have documented the suspicious transfer of more than $2 trillion.

These FinCEN documents are not less than the flow of Panama Papers in 2016, which revealed much about the use of companies in various countries by major businesses and politicians known from around the world.

“In this case, the amount of information is smaller, but it is a significant amount deserving of further work”, said Russian journalist Roman Schleinov, who participated in the project and was one of the authors of the original report on Russian ties.

The documents shed further light on the secret ties of the government of Russia and other highly influential non-governmental organisations during the time of Vladimir Putin's rule, where some analysts describe him as an authoritarian cleptocracy.

The ruling elite under Putin “has managed to integrate very well into the Western world,”, British journalist Catherine Belton told Radio Europe free. She is author of the book: “Putin's people: As the KGB turned Russia and then turned to West”.

It is estimated that some 800 billion dollars from Russia are in bank accounts in other countries, and that is more than the amount of money in Russian accounts. And despite all Putin's statements and efforts, this figure is only increasing”.

A SAR report does not mean accusations of illegal activities, Schleinov and other journalists working on controlling FinCEN documents stress. In the case of the transfer of money to Ordzynikidze, Schleinov stressed that SAR did not prove there was a bribe.

“We are only talking about what we can prove”, he told Radio Free Europe.

We see the payments are being made. The corresponding American bank reported them. This means that these transactions should be somewhat explained because they raise big questions. Why did Roman Fuchs, a man who is now under criminal charge, a builder, suddenly transfer a million dollars to the former mayor for the job done as a conclusion?

Putin's Violet

One of the leading people in Panama, Popers, was the celloist and old friend Putin, Sergei Rodulgin. Even though Rodulgin has dismissed that he was involved, the publication of Panama Papers connected him to several different global companies that did not pay taxes anywhere where there was flow of money in billions of dollars. Analysts at the time speculated that Rodulgin, who is the godfather of Putin's eldest daughter, may have been controlling the money destined for Putin himself, the charges the musician and Kremlin have denied.

The documents stemming from FinCEN included a SAR report of an $830,000 transfer in October 2010 to Sandalwood Continental, a company that Panama Papers found controlled by Roldugin. The payment came from a Cyprus-based firm called Dulston Ventures, this firm linked to the consortium of Russian billionaire Alexei Mordov, Severgroup. The consortium has refused to comment on the SAR report.

According to Panama Papers, Rodulgin was linked to other businesses controlled by Mordov. Rodulgin-related firms received $30m for “Adviser services” from Mordov firms, as well as a $6m loan that was subsequently repaid.

The Shuma mentioned in the US bank report is not as large as $1m”, Schleinov said. But there are some interesting shades. For example, the report mentions a kind of loan agreement. Why would such a large Russian businessman suddenly seek a loan from a not-known office associated with a violincelist who has said his whole life he is not involved in business? I honestly have a hard time explaining this”.

Valentin Yumashev and his wife Tatyana Duachenko, Boris Yeltsin's daughter, allegedly have access to the highest levels of power in Russia.

Valentin Yumashev and his wife Tatyana Duachenko, Boris Yeltsin's daughter, allegedly have access to the highest levels of power in Russia.

Yeltsin Connection

According to FinCEN documents, Valentin Yumashev reportedly works as Putin's unpaid adviser and who is married to Tatyana Dachenko, the daughter of the late President Boris Yeltsin received $6m from a firm called Epion Holdings Limited, registered in Britain's Virgin Islands. Epion is owned by billionaire Alisher Ussnovo. Transfers were made under an agreement to perform “services” between 2006 and 2008.

Yumashev was Yelts' chief of staff, and according to many reports, played a key role in the appointment of Putin as Yelsin's successor, but in exchange Putin would protect Yeltsin and his close circle. In his role as the outstanding “Kremlin advisor”, Yumashev is believed to be a powerful lobbyist with access to the highest levels of the Russian government. In a 2011 interview for the Moskovsky Komsomoles media, Yumashev said he was not rich.

If I had done millions, there should have been some evidence of this”, he said. But neither Tanya nor I have any planes or villas in France or England”.

Yumashev, Usnovo and Kremlin rejected the media requirements Important Stories (Important Stories) to comment on documents.

Yumashev “has insisted on interviews that he and his family do not have large financial revenues”, Schleinov told Radio Free Europe. “Yes, he is an adviser to many business people, but he insists on interviews that he is not rich. But now we see a considerable payment of $6m for Yumashev from Usnovo. It would be interesting to know why this money was paid. But, so far, no one says anything either Yumashev or the firms of Usnovo”.

A great sea of information

Schleinov said perhaps the main lesson in the flow of information from FinCEN has to do with FinCEN itself, which appears to be inefficient because of the great volume of information it receives.

My personal feeling, after working with Treasury Department files, is that this institution gets a huge amount of reports, a huge amount of”, Schleinov said. I have the impression that Treasury Department bureaucratics in this agency are simply sinking into a large sea of information and, unfortunately, can't investigate suspicious cases at every opportunity.

“Makinery is working, but I wouldn't say with much efficiency”, he added. “Perhaps one day they will adopt some stricter regulations or take certain measures to be stricter about these bank transfers. But I don't think that even that will really limit the mechanisms for moving money used, among other things, by our officials and businessmen”.