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The laundering of 120 million from the sale of weapons to Obiang, close to an agreed sentence

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office negotiates with the Russian businessman settled in Gran Canaria Vladimir Kokorev a conviction of conformity for the laundering of the undeclared 120 million euros that he claims he earned between 1999 and 2014, a profit that he attributes to the illegal sale of weapons to the regime of Teodoro Obiang in Equatorial Guinea.

On Monday, the sixth section of the Las Palmas Court plans to hold a first hearing on the so-called ‘Kokorev case’ after having rejected the request of the defenses to cede this file to the National Court, which already accumulates 16 years of history.

It is the Prosecutor’s Office itself that has announced that the hearing of May 19 is convened only “for compliance purposes,” because it is negotiating with the defenses an agreed conviction whose terms it assures that it will reveal that same day, if the defendants accept them.

Until now, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office had been requesting eight years in prison and a fine of 240 million euros for Vladimir Kokorev, whom he accuses of having laundered millionaire profits allegedly obtained from selling military equipment to Equatorial Guinea at prices that included “notorious cost overres”.

His wife, Yulia Maleeva, and his son Igor Kokorev face the same facts, for whom he demands six years in prison and a fine of 150 million.

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The charges on which the Spanish Justice can demand responsibility from the Kokorev are limited to the crime of money laundering by the conditions that Panama put in 2015 to extradite them, when they were arrested in that country.

In an indictment to which EFE has had access, the Prosecutor’s Office describes Vladimir Kokorev as the “head of a transnational criminal organization” dedicated to the “corrupt trade in military defense equipment and dual use”.

Anti-corruption assures that the Kokorevs managed to generate “an illicit million wealth of at least 120 million euros, in the period between 1999 and 2014”, supplying “weapons of war” to the Government of Teodoro Obiang, at a time when Equatorial Guinea was forming its naval forces.

Through the accounts of its corporate network, he continues, they reached a circulation of 678.92 million euros from 59 transfers made by the Public Treasury of Equatorial Guinea and a company called Abayak SA.

The prosecutor even details in his letter that Vladimir Kokorev has links with the criminal organization of “a citizen of the Russian Federation convicted of illegal trafficking and smuggling weapons for carrying out the sale to China and Iran of cruise missiles with nuclear loading capacity.”

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“That activity (with Equatorial Guinea), never declared and always hidden,” says the Prosecutor’s Office, was carried out through two Panamanian companies (Kalunga Company SA and Intracoastal Trading) and another of the Scheychelles Islands (SJ Marine Company Ltd.)”, which gave “coverage” to the “multiple contracts” concluded by Vladimir Kokorev.

“All made with notorious overcost and overbilling imputed to the Public Treasury of Malabo, for the sale of military weapons, war and naval infrastructure, sold in collusion with officials and senior military dignitaries to the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea,” he continues.

Anti-corruption also formulates the same charges against a lawyer from Gran Canaria who allegedly collaborated in money laundering, Juan José Arencibia, and two sisters of this one, for whom he asks for sentences of five years in prison and fines of 100, ten and seven million euros.

In the order that ended the investigation in May 2021, Court number 5 of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria estimated at 450 million euros the income that the Kokorev would have obtained from selling to Equatorial Guinea “ships, combat helicopters, armored vehicles, military corvettes, patrol boats, frigates, fighter jets, bombers and dual-use military weapons.”

For the investigator, there were indications to take the case of the judgment that the Kokorev and their collaborators earned 100 million “inflating the costs” of that material, with the collaboration of two advisors and three relatives of Obiang in charge of the Armed Forces or the Guinean Government (a son-in-law, a cousin and a nephew), of which she said in that order that they received commissions from the defendants.

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To date, businessman Vladimir Kokorev has always denied that neither he, nor his wife Yulia Maleeva, nor his son Igor Kokorev have bribed or paid commissions to relatives and advisors of the president of Equatorial Guinea to facilitate the sale of weapons to that country.

The family assures that trade relations with Equatorial Guinea were established by Vladimir Kokorev, without the participation of his wife or son; they were not illegal and consisted of the supply of “ships for the transport of goods and people, as well as helicopters, patrol boats and other goods.”

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U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.

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