Ermolaev bombing: Ukraine investigators follow money trail
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Two months after a bomb attack targeting businessman Vadim Ermolaev in Monaco, Ukrainian investigators are tracing financial links and pressing ahead with proceedings against two suspects held near Kyiv.
Two months on from the bomb attack that targeted businessman Vadim Ermolaev in Monaco, the investigation is moving on two fronts simultaneously. Ermolaev has been interviewed by investigators, while financial specialists are working to map transactions that may identify further accomplices believed to be operating in Ukraine.
Two suspects are already in custody near Kyiv, and Ukrainian prosecutors are deepening the financial strand of the inquiry in parallel with the formal instruction against those two individuals. The cross-border dimension of the case means Monegasque and Ukrainian authorities are coordinating closely, a reminder that serious crime in the Principality rarely stays within its borders.
For Monaco residents and the business community, the case has raised questions about the security of high-profile figures in a jurisdiction that prides itself on its safety record. The speed with which investigators are now moving suggests both sides of the inquiry are under pressure to reach conclusions before the trail grows cold.