Russian money launderer worked for Tory donor firm

After a global investigation uncovered a billion-dollar Russian money laundering network used by spies, drug kingpins, international fraudsters and a sanctioned Kremlin propaganda channel, we can reveal links between this shadowy group and a Tory donor.

The National Crime Agency showed how Georgy Rossi and his second in command, Elena Chirkinyan, helped to transfer dirty money from Russia through a group of London-based companies operating under the brand, TGR.

LinkedIn records suggest that from 2019, Chirkinyan also worked for a wealth advisory firm, Oracle Capital Group, which provides a one-stop shop for ultra-high net worth emigres from Russia, Kazakhstan and China to set up companies in the UK and invest in prime London real estate.

Both Oracle Capital and one of its mysterious co-founders, Denis Koganovich, have given money to the Tories through its secretive Spring Lunch fundraiser.

Koganovich was once a wealth adviser to Aliya Nazabayev – whose father ruled Kazakhstan as a dictator – and is reported to have helped her transfer hundreds of millions of dollars through an extensive network of offshore companies, including Oracle Capital Group and its linked entities.
A spokesperson for Koganovich told the Mirror, who we worked with on this investigation, “The unfounded allegations were denied and an amicable settlement was reached.”

The connections between the Tory donor wealth advisory firm and the money laundering ring go beyond Chirkinyan. We found at least three of Oracle Capital’s former employees who became involved with companies associated with TGR and its wider network.

As one example, Alon Gook, former Head of HR and Compliance at Oracle Capital Group, was briefly a director of TGR Solutions, when it was part-owned by the main ringleader of the Russian money laundering ring, Georgy Rossi.

After news of the National Crime Agency investigation broke, Chirkinyan hastily deleted her job at Oracle Capital and other employment history on her LinkedIn page. 

According to Good Law Project’s legal director, Rheian Davies, UK politics is “incredibly vulnerable to dirty money and the influence of malign interests”.

“The Tory government has often welcomed questionable donations,” Davies said, “and kept the door wide open for financial crime to flourish in our capital.”

“But these revelations raise urgent questions for Oracle Capital. What did it know about Chirkinyan’s moonlighting? And are there deeper connections between Oracle Capital and this money laundering ring?”

Oracle Capital were contacted for comment by The Mirror.