The Interior Ministry's (MVD) Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department reported that some leaders of Master-Bank, including CEO Boris Bulochnik, had been searched within investigation on illegal cashing of more than 2 billion rubles. In Master-Bank, this information hasn’t been confirmed or denied.
Bulochnik has been chairman of Master-Bank since 2001, directly having 5.5% stake in the bank. At the same time, on the whole, the family of Bulochnik controls about 85% of the shares.
In early July, the Central Bank of Russia informed about the decision to hold Master-Bank administratively liable for violation of legislation on counteraction to laundering of criminal income. It followed from the controller’ data that the decision had been taken in respect of the credit institution itself. It may face the penalty under Article 15.25 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations. According to the media, the penalty amount is going to be 50 thousand rubles.
MVD confirmed that within the investigation, the former Master-Bank managers of the department on work with big business Sergey Kormschikov and Igor Babich had been detained. According to the police, the heads of several banks created a credit organization in Moscow, without a license and not registered in the Book of the state registration of credit institutions of the Central Bank of Russia. Using some "one-day firms", they transferred funds to the accounts of commercial banks on forged documents, then they threw them to the accounts of other organizations and cashed, the agency informed. For their services, the organizers of the schemes appointed a commission of 3-7% of payment amount.
For several members of the group, it has been initiated a case of illegal banking activity. Vice-president of the Master-Bank Evgeny Rogachev has been already arrested and charged.