The youngest son of ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych has accused Kiev government forces of repeatedly searching his property in eastern Ukraine without a warrant in search of "bogus" money.
In a statement published Thursday on his Facebook page, Viktor Yanukovych Jr. said neither his father — to whom he referred as "the President" ?€” or he had laundered any money into unknown bank accounts and called reports about $200 million having been sluiced to Switzerland "pure lies."
Switzerland launched a money-laundering investigation into Yanukovych and his eldest son Oleksander in February, freezing their assets in an ongoing hunt for tens of billions of dollars that Ukraine's new regime says were channeled out of the country by Yanukovych and his entourage.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said last week the U.S. was determined to help Ukraine track down the missing funds and German newspaper Bild several days later reported that U.S. officials have been stationed in Kiev with that specific goal.
The younger Yanukovych said the "illegitimate" government lacked any evidence to support the money laundering accusations but nonetheless raided his Donetsk residence on a regular basis, often without a warrant, in search of "bogus money."
Calling the interim government "enemies, inhuman and ... devoid of "common sense" he threatened the next raid of his house "could end very badly."
Ukraine's chief prosecutor Oleh Makhnitsky in late April accused the politician of running a multi-billion dollar mafia-style syndicate that used some of its revenues to fund pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, he said.
The elder Yanukovych, a Kremlin ally, was ousted from power in February following months of protests against his government.
See also: