Vasily Zhabykin, one of the co-founders of Suex, the OTC (Over The Counter) crypto-exchange, which was blacklisted in the US, has been fired from his managerial role at MTS Bank in Moscow.
There is a growing scandal surrounding the platform, shortly after Egor Petukhovsky announced that he is leaving the crypto exchange bot Chatex, a company that has been linked to Suex.
The crypto exchange Suex scandal
Last week, the crypto-exchange platform Suex, was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for serving ransomware criminals and aiding and abetting money laundering activities.
This scandal led to Suex being blacklisted in the US, along with drug traffickers and terrorists.
The news of Vasily Zhabykin’s (one of Suex’s co-founders) dismissal from his managerial job at MTS Bank prompted an investigation into all the people involved and Suex’s connections.
An anti-drug organization, Stopnarkotik, reported the case to the Ministry of the Interior and the Central Bank of Russia, asking the authorities to investigate Suex’s connections to financial companies and a darknet market operating in the region.
Individuals and financial companies under investigation
Before Zhabykin, Egor Petukhovsky also left Chatex, a company that was linked to Suex. However, Petukhovsky allegedly used Facebook to claim that neither he nor any affiliated company had ever engaged in illegal activities.
The list of suspects also extends to other individuals believed to be associated with Suex, such as Ildar Zakirov, Maxim Subbotin, Maxim Kurbangaleev, and Czech venture capitalist Tibor Bokor, believed to be one of Suex’s executives along with Zhabykin.
Looking at the financial companies involved, however, the names published under investigation are Exmo, Qiwi, Concord Bank.
Exmo has rejected claims of involvement in Seux’s activities, while Qiwi with its platforms of Qiwi Kiosks, Qiwi Wallet and Qiwi Bank in Russia and the region, has stressed that it operates within the framework of Russian law and does not carry out activities such as those described in the documents.
Moscow and Russia’s “quasi ban” on crypto
This scandal shows how in Moscow, the Central Bank of Russia and the government are working to control and “almost ban” crypto and exchange activities.
Last week, the scepticism towards crypto was confirmed by the CBR report, which reiterated that cryptocurrencies are a risky asset.
The first to be targeted are crypto-exchanges, with the CBR reportedly working with commercial banks to prevent the transfer of money to these platforms.
