Popular blogger Valeria “Lerchek” Chekalina and her former spouse Artem Chekalin have been taken into custody following an interrogation, as reported by “Kommersant.” The investigation is seeking to impose house arrest and restrictions on their activities. Additionally, Roman Vishnyak, the co-founder of a cosmetics trading company, was also detained alongside the ex-couple.
Recent reports reveal that the Chekalins are now involved in a new legal case. They are suspected of illicitly transferring 250 million rubles to offshore accounts in the United Arab Emirates using falsified documents (part 3 of article 193.1 of the Russian Criminal Code).
Within the last eighteen months, two criminal cases have been initiated against the Chekalins, both of which were eventually closed. The first case pertained to tax evasion amounting to 311 million rubles. The second case focused on money laundering allegations; investigators claim that the couple laundered over 130 million rubles by converting them into dollars to obscure their origin. As a result, they paid more than 600 million rubles in fines.
Following the resolution of their second legal issue, Valeria Chekalina filed for divorce from Artem Chekalin, finalizing it in July.
Link from theins.ru