Published: Just now
More than SEK 28.5 million is suspected of having been withdrawn from ATMs in Gothenburg in a large money laundering scandal.
18 people are suspected of eco-crime, of which two principals are in custody.
The owner of a grocery store in Gothenburg noticed during the summer of 2022 how a number of people withdrew large sums of money from the ATMs adjacent to the store.
It was the start of a major investigation into suspected serious eco-crimes led by the Eco-Crime Authority (EBM) in Gothenburg.
“Regarding the criminal scheme, we suspect that money that has been generated by other crime has been deposited and then sent in several different stages, via Poland, in order to finally be able to be withdrawn from ATMs in the Gothenburg area,” says Tom Lilja, head of investigations at EBM in Gothenburg, in a press release.
The purpose is suspected to have been to launder approximately SEK 28.5 million, which was then used to pay black labor in the construction industry.
The money, which comes from a number of bank accounts in the same Polish bank, was withdrawn during the period January 2022 to February 2023.
The 18 suspects are mainly citizens of Poland and Ukraine, and some were previously known to the police.