Australian Government May Seize Kadirov’s Melbourne Cup Winnings
Melbourne Cup ended, however discussions about puppet Kadirov doesn’t stop. Australian Federal Government has less than a week to decide whether to freeze $420,000 in Melbourne Cup prize money due to be sent to Chechen leader and alleged tyrant Ramzan Kadirov.
Accused of links to political murders and money laundering, Kadirov, who wears a $1 million watch and totes a gold-plated pistol, has claimed 99.9 per cent of the vote in Chechnya.
He owns Mourilyan, third behind Shocking in this month’s Melbourne Cup, the Herald Sun reports.
The Department of Australia Foreign Affairs and Trade has urged anyone with information that transferring the winnings to Kadirov would be unlawful to “immediately provide that information to the Federal Police or the Victoria Police”.
Russian expert Leonid Petrov, of the Australian National University, said Kadirov had been accused of having blood on his hands and Greens leader Bob Brown had called for the $420,000 to be seized.
But unless directed to do otherwise by Australian police or the Government, Victorian racing authorities said they intended writing a cheque to Kadirov and sending it to his international account as early as Monday.
“One should not forget that a civil war is going on in Chechnya for the last 10 years,” Dr Petrov said.
“Kadirov is believed to have amassed a fortune from from the illegal sale of Chechen oil, but I don’t have any solid evidence.”
Human Rights Watch International quotes humanitarian groups reporting crimes linked to police and security personnel under Kadirov, which include abduction, torture, executions, burning the homes of opponents and the operation of secret prisons.
Despite the allegations, federal Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor said the Government had no information that prevented the money being paid.
Mr O’Connor said the Government could seek a court order freezing the winnings under proceeds of crime laws if “there are reasonable grounds to suspect the property is the proceeds of a Commonwealth or foreign indictable offence”.
Following the Kadirov controversy here and in England, the British Horseracing Authority is bringing in new rules next year that would ban Kadirov, and others of questionable character, from racing horses in Britain.
The Victoria Racing Club cleared Kadirov’s two horses, Mourilyan and Bankable, to compete in the Spring Racing Carnival.
Kadirov has denied the allegations against him and used Russian courts to sue a number of individuals and organisations for defamation.
Racing Victoria Limited chief executive Rob Hines said there had been “absolutely no suggestion or intention” not to forward the prizemoney to Kadirov, saying it could be forwarded as early as Monday.
Mourilyan earned $420,000 for his third placing behind Shocking in the Melbourne Cup, nearly doubling his career purse from his previous 18 starts.
With the trainer’s percentage to South African Herman Brown ($42,000 ) and jockey’s percentage ($21,000) to Glyn Schofield, it leaves $357,000 payment to Kadirov.