The FBI is examining why Russia transferred nearly $400,000 to its embassies 'to finance' the 'election campaign of 2016

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-examining-russian-wire-transfers-to-embassies-to-finance-election-2017-11

 

• The FBI is reviewing a series of wire transfers totaling more than $380,000 sent in August and September of last year by the Russian government to its embassies around the world. Most had the memo "to finance election campaign of 2016."
• It is unclear which "election campaign" the money was for — the US campaign was in full swing, but Russia's lower house of Parliament was also set to hold an election on September 18.
• Still, the wire transfers could shed light on a key claim made in the dossier alleging ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

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The FBI is reviewing a series of wire transfers totaling more than $380,000 sent in August and September of last year by the Russian government to its embassies around the world — most with the memo "to finance election campaign of 2016" — BuzzFeed News reported on Tuesday.

It is unclear which "election campaign" the money was for — the US campaign was in full swing, but Russia's lower house of Parliament was also set to hold an election on September 18.

The funds were transferred to about 60 embassies worldwide from August 3 to September 20, 2016, according to BuzzFeed News. At least one transaction originated from VTB Bank, the report said.

VTB, which is majority-owned by the Kremlin and was sanctioned by the US in 2014, transferred $30,000 to the Citibank account of Russia's Washington, DC, embassy on August 3, prompting the bank to examine VTB's other transactions over the same period.

Citibank would then have been required to inform the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, if it noticed any suspicious activity.