The Guardian reports the FBI and U.S. Treasury officials are looking into a now-defunct Cyprus Bank known for its ties to wealthy Russians with political connections and suspected of money laundering.
The request for information about FBME Bank comes as Cyprus has emerged as a key area of interest for Robert Mueller, the US special counsel who is investigating a possible conspiracy between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin.
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One person familiar with the FBI request said it appeared to be connected to Mueller’s ongoing examination of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager who was indicted in October, and money that flowed between former Soviet states and the US through Cypriot banks.
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Bloomberg reported last week that FBME was the subject of two US investigations: one into the bank’s credit card unit, and another into alleged laundering of money from Russia. Bloomberg said the Russia-related investigation, which is being led by the US attorney’s office in New York, was connected to a flow of illegal Russian funds into the New York real estate market.
Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, and a spokesman for FBME tells The Guardian that Manafort was never a client.
However, FBME also is connected to Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump's primary source of funding.
Deutsche also worked as a correspondent bank for FBME. Internal emails seen by the Guardian show that executives from both banks were in contact in 2014 discussing accounts that were “on the radar” of US law enforcement.
Deutsche Bank said in a statement: “We severed our relationship with FBME in 2014 and have added more than 1,000 anti-financial crime staff in recent years to make our business safer and increase our controls.”
Read more: FBI investigates Russian-linked Cyprus bank accused of money laundering (The Guardian)