Swiss court convicts four bankers over Putin cellist funds

ZURICH: Four bankers from a Russian bank´s Swiss branch have been found guilty by a Zurich court over vast sums going into the accounts of a close confidant of President Vladimir Putin.

The accounts in the Swiss arm of Gazprombank were held by Sergei Roldugin, the artistic director of the St. Petersburg Music House, who is often dubbed Putin´s cellist. Roldugin has been a friend of Putin for more than four decades and is godfather to one of the Russian leader´s daughters.

The four men were found guilty of “lack of due diligence in financial transactions”, the Zurich District Court said in its verdict released to media on Thursday, over the millions of Swiss francs flowing through Roldugin´s account.