The Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that it is conducting an investigation into suspicions of money laundering related to a trade conducted between Interblue Group, the purchaser of Slovakia’s excess carbon dioxide emissions quotas, and a firm based in a tax haven, the Sme daily has reported.
The investigation was confirmed by spokesperson Jeanette Balner, the daily reported. Sme contrasted the Swiss money-laundering probe with enquiries taking place in Slovakia, which have so far been confined to a possible abuse of power. The daily wrote that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico continues to assert that he does not know the owners of Interblue, to whom his government sold quotas to emit fifteen million tons of carbon dioxide at a price well below the going market rate.
In its March 24 report, Sme referred to a document that it says proves the Swiss authorities registered a suspicious transaction between Interblue Group and Crataegus Development, a company based in the Central American republic of Belize, which is regarded as a tax haven. However, it is not clear whether money from the sale of emissions was involved.
Source: Sme
For more info, see: Interblue reloaded
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
