Nomirex Trading Ltd. is part of an international money laundering platform used by several major criminals. Nomirex had bank account in Riga’s Trasta Komercbank in Latvia.
Nomirex Trading Ltd. is part of an international money laundering platform used by several major criminals. Nomirex had bank account in Riga’s Trasta Komercbank in Latvia.
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In 2008, a Romanian who felt cheated by three Moldovan businessmen filed a civil case in an obscure courthouse in the capital of the tiny Republic of Moldova, in effect asking the authorities for help against a phantom offshore company called Tormex Ltd. Prosecutors subpoenaed two years’ worth of Tormex’s bank accounts in Latvia and what they found was stunning.
While governments and citizens of Eastern Europe were struggling with the recent financial crisis and trying to borrow money from international financial institutions, billions of euros circulated in the region in an illegal, parallel system that enriched organized crime figures and corrupt politicians.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) looked at more than 500 pages of transactions at Tormex’s Baltic International Bank account. OCCRP reporters tracked down scores of companies to understand exactly who was sending or receiving money from Tormex. A large quantity of the transactions came or went from phantom shell companies that were traced back led to proxies – some who were willing but some who were not. Here is a sample of some of the findings:
The project was done by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project — a consortium of investigative centers, journalists and media organizations throughout the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Reporters:
Mihai Munteanu-OCCRP
Roman Anin-Novaya Gazeta, Russia
Arta Giga-Nothing Personal, TV3 Latvia
Inga Springe-Re:Baltica; The Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism, Latvia
Vlad Lavrov-Kyiv Post, Ukraine
Valerie Hopkins-OCCRP
Stevan Dojcinovic-CINS-The Serbian Center for Investigative Journalism
Graham Stack-freelance, Ukraine
Miranda Patrucic-CIN, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Editors:
Drew Sullivan, OCCRP
Rosemary Armao, OCCRP
Coordinator:
Paul Cristian Radu, OCCRP
You can read the original article with all corresponding documents in OCCRP home page www.reportingproject.net/proxy/about-us