A “high profile” Ukrainian man who faked his own death was arrested in France, Europol said in a statement on Tuesday. The suspect is thought to be behind a complex case of international fraud and money laundering. The seizures during the action day alone amount at over EUR 4.6 million and include a castle, a vintage Rolls Royce Phantom and 3 works of art by Salvador Dali.
The suspect had evaded justice in his home country by producing forged death certificates, the EU law enforcement agency said in a statement. “It was established that the suspect was not only alive,but was enjoying a lavish lifestyle in France,” a spokesperson said. The man, who was dubbed the “King of the Castle” by Europol.
“Given the international dimension of the case, the French authorities rapidly requested Europol’s support. The scope of the French investigation subsequently changed drastically: the case went from a case of domestic fraud to one of international money laundering of the proceeds of corruption.” Pictures shared by Europol on Twitter show the castle and the luxury car that were seized. The castle was estimated to be worth around 3 million euros.
Though Europol did not reveal the name of the suspect, according to BBC, Ukrainian investigators have named him as “Malinovsky.”
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