Quote:Russian bank staff under investigation in London
Four officials at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have diplomatic immunity removed

Jonathan Paige
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 January 2011 07.31 GMT


The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development: four employees are at the centre of corruption investigations. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian
Four Russian officials connected to the London branch of a major international bank set up to develop free markets in eastern Europe are being investigated for corruption by both Britain and Russia.

The London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which is owned by 61 countries including Russia and the European Union and European Investment Bank, said it had removed diplomatic immunity from the employees at the request of the Foreign Office and Russian authorities in order to help police investigations in both countries.

Russia's economic development ministry confirmed the name of one of the employees as Elena Kotova, who has been dismissed from the board of directors; she had been a member since 2005.

The ministry did not name the other three employees, but said Russia's prosecutor general's office has ordered an investigation into the activities of the four.

An EBRD spokesman in London said three of the four officials under investigation worked in the EBRD's Russia directorate in London; the fourth used to work there.

An internal inquiry for the EBRD led to the request to remove immunity. Carried out for the bank by outside experts, it found that the officials had breached the bank's code of conduct. The findings were passed to Russian authorities and the bank said it would share them with British police.

The bank said in a statement: "The EBRD has agreed to a request from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from the Russian authorities to lift the immunity of four officials assigned to the EBRD by the Russian government.

"The purpose of lifting the immunity is to facilitate investigations by UK police and by Russian authorities into alleged criminal activities.

"The officials either work or have worked at the EBRD in their capacity as representatives of the Russian government, a shareholder of the EBRD and one of its countries of operations."

The institution was established in 1991 to help former communist countries in eastern Europe adjust to free markets. It is responsible for investing huge amounts of money in the region last year it invested €9bn (€7.6bn), including €2.3bn in Russia.