Veltyco Case – Razzia in Kosovo, bank account seizures and interrogations on German money laundering investigations

According to various reports from newspapers in Kosovo such as Gazeta Blic, the Kosovans Betim Tasholli (31), Azem Spahiu (26) and Egzontin Murturi (31) were requested to present themselves as suspects to the authorities in an international enforcement action in June 2019. The authorities of Germany and Kosovo have searched the offices and apartments of the suspects on suspicion of money laundering. Allegedly, dozens of folders were confiscated, bank accounts were frozen and eight properties were confiscated. Also, luxury watches and a Porsche are said to have been found. At least that’s what the local papers say.

Confirmation by local partners

Insiders interviewed by FinTelegram and former partners of Uwe Lenhoff and Betim Tasholli have confirmed this enforcement action. According to these insiders, the three suspects named above are all part of the network of Uwe Lenhoff, who is arrested in Germany on suspicion of money laundering, financial crime and commercial fraud, and his listed Veltyco Group PLC. Betim Tasholli, Azem Spahiu, and Egzontin Murturia are registered as shareholders in Veltyco’s Silkline Group shpk.

According to the information available to FinTelegram, the suspicion of money laundering was intensified in the course of the raid. According to insider information, even Lenhoff himself may have given tips to the authorities.

Lenhoff’s local partners in the Balkans have repeatedly reported to FinTelegram that they have observations about money laundering activities of Lenhoff and Veltyco on the Balkans. Lenhoff and his companies are said to have cooperated closely with Dusko Knezevic‘s Atlas Banka. Atlas Banka has now been closed by the authorities for money laundering of up to €500 million. An arrest warrant has been issued in Montenegro against the owner Dusko Knezevic (read his Wikipedia entry). Knezevic fled to London, but when asked, he confirmed to FinTelegram that he had worked with Uwe Lenhoff, Gal Barak, and their companies.

According to reports in the newspapers, Tashollis has also made a name for himself as a patron and sponsor of local politicians. For example, he has donated €10,000 to Labinot Tahari, a member of parliament (MP) from the ruling AKR. The politician confirmed the receipt of the money to the newspapers and pointed out that the money was for charity.

Betim Tasholli was a key person at Veltyco

In recent years, Betim Tasholli has mainly worked for Lenhoff and Veltyco. There he apparently earned the money that he now distributes in a charitable and influential way.

FinTelegram reported on the important role of Betim Tasholli in the Veltyco Group network and its founder and main shareholder Uwe Lenhoff. Now the authorities in the different jurisdictions of Europe (inside and outside the EU) seem to have noticed this and have to take the appropriate steps.

Lenhoff was arrested in January 2019 by the Austrian authorities after months of investigation. According to the findings of the authorities in Austria, Germany, Serbia, and Kosovo, Betim Tasholli was the manager of the Veltyco subsidiary Silkline Group shpk. This company operated boiler rooms (call centers) in Pristina for the illegal and fraudulent broker platforms Option888, XMarkets and TradoVest. According to Lenhoff, Betim Tasholli was also a shareholder in Lensing Management Ltd, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands. This company, in turn, was the principal shareholder of Veltyco Group PLC, listed on the AIM segment of the London Stock Exchange.

International dimensions of a criminal organisation

From FinTelegram’s point of view, the question of whether the Veltyco Group was a criminal organization no longer arises. This hypothesis is supported by the daily reports and discoveries of the authorities. The only question is the extent of this criminal organization which has spread across many jurisdictions in Europe, the Balkans, and Asia. Most recently, Singapore was also part of Lenhoff’s illegal network. The Singapore-based CryptoDaily was used to channel funds from small investors in the illegal platforms of Lenhoff and Veltyco.

Read about the Singapore connection of Lenhoff with CryptoDaily.

Some of Veltyco’s major shareholders are listed as suspects in criminal records. Authorities in several are investigating these individuals in the Veltyco environment for financial crime, money laundering and commercial fraud.

A few months ago an external accounting firm of Veltyco in Malta lost its nerve and sent accounting documents to various authorities as well as FinTelegram. According to the opinion of the then responsible employees of this accounting company, Veltyco’s accounting and balance sheets were manipulated.

In the coming weeks and months, it will remain exciting around the Veltyco Group. Anyway, that much seems safe.