Villas, yachts, luxury cars and about 2 billion euros in cash. This is the total estimated value of economic resources frozen for citizens of Russia and Belarus due to the sanctions applied after the aggression against Ukraine, La Repubblica reports, citing Rador.

These data are given by the director of the financial intelligence unit, Enzo Serrata, who stated in his annual report: “At the end of June this year, 170 financial instruments in the name of 80 entities were frozen. The total amount of frozen funds is more than 330 million euros.

Some companies transferred funds related to PNRR abroad

In its report, the FIU also emphasized the crimes identified in the PNRR issue. The unit found “networks of firms that improperly benefited from subsidized loans” linked to the PNRR, “or that misused the resources provided, often by transferring them overseas.”

Serata emphasized that “the frequent presence of professionals who, by helping companies in the stages of obtaining access to concessions, play a crucial role in the network, facilitating illegal behavior on behalf of the actual beneficiaries.”

“In 2022, the Financial Intelligence Unit received more than 155,000 reports of suspicious transactions, approximately 11% more than the previous year, most of which were transmitted by the banking and financial system,” Serata reiterated.

At the same time, he added that “the information provided by state administrations remains at a low level, which indicates their lack of awareness of the importance of combating money laundering as a crucial moment for strengthening guarantees of legality.”

For Serata: “The massive intervention of the state in the economy, which characterizes the current historical moment, requires a more active and conscious role of state institutions.

Non-financial operators and gaming service providers made an important contribution, while the contribution of professionals was much more modest.”