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Russian couple suspected of fraud in huge amounts detained in Montenegro

According to preliminary estimates, the financial pyramid operations had caused about one billion rubles worth of damage to depositors

CHELYABINSK, the Urals, June 13 (Itar-Tass) - Montenegrin law enforcers have detained a Russian couple, Konstantin Filimonov and Svetlana Filimonova, suspected of building a financial pyramid, the biggest in the Urals region.

Anzhelika Chirkova, the press service chief of the Russian Interior Ministry department for the Chelyabinsk region, told Itar-Tass on Thursday that according to preliminary estimates, the financial pyramid operations had caused about one billion rubles worth of damage to depositors.

"Police in the Chelyabinsk region received information that the Filimonov couple was staying in Montenegro. They asked their foreign colleagues for help. The Filimonovs who had been on the international wanted list for several years were detained in the resort town of Budva. They will be extradited to Russia in the next six months,” Chirkova said.

According to police reports, the spouses created a financial company called “Private Investments” in 2007. About 3,500 depositors suffered from its operations. Criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of fraud in huge amounts. Filimonov was arrested in absentia.

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