On October 13, 2023, the Antwerp public prosecutor's office initiated a judicial inquiry into a diamond company in Antwerp operated by Russians, allegedly involved in circumventing European
sanctions against Russia.
During three house searches conducted on Wednesday, investigators confiscated diamonds valued at over 1.4 million euros. The company, described as a rough diamond wholesaler, is suspected of relocating a significant portion of its inventory outside the European Union in an attempt to evade sanctions.
Prosecutors have leveled charges against the company, including money laundering and breaching European regulations. The Enterprise court is vigilantly monitoring the situation and has appointed a restructuring expert. Furthermore, prosecutors remarked, "During searches in the diamond district, the financial section of the Federal Judicial Police (FGP) Antwerp still managed to seize diamonds with a total value of $1.5 million. Meanwhile, the Russian managers seem to have disappeared into the sunset." Photo by Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany, Wikimedia commons.