- An alleged OneCoin “money launderer” has seen his horses banned from racing in France
- Amer Abdulaziz Salman is alleged to have funded his 2017 stable Phoenix Thoroughbreds with money stolen from OneCoin
- The French racing authorities are concerned about the source of the funds used to establish the stable in 2017
A horse racing stable implicated in the OneCoin cryptocurrency scam has been banned from racing horses in France due to concerns over its links to the fraudulent operation. Phoenix Thoroughbreds has seen its business become the focus of intense scrutiny since OneCoin co-founder Konstntin Ignatov suggested in court last year that founder Amer Abdulaziz Salman bought the horses with money stolen from OneCoin.
Salman Accused of Being Main OneCoin Money Launderer
Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Salman were unceremoniously thrown into the OneCoin scandal during the trial of Mark Scott, the OneCoin lawyer, in November last year. As part of his testimony during the trial, Ignatov pinpointed Salman as a principal money launderer in the €4 billion scam which ran from 2013 to 2019.
AUSA Folly: Who was this Mr. Aziz?
Konstantin: One of the main money launderers for Ruja.
AUSA: Did you ever report to the police any of these theft?
Konstantin: No. The money came from a criminal activity.— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) November 6, 2019
Ignatov accused Salman of stealing some €100 million from OneCoin and then “buying racehorses for, like, €25m.” The accusations had a huge impact on Salman and Phoenix Thoroughbreds, which was founded in 2017 at the height of OneCoin’s popularity, with high-profile racing professionals and key associates cutting ties with the Dubai-based enterprise.
French Racing Ban Highlights Seriousness of Allegations
Rumors of a French racing ban began circulating earlier this month and were seemingly confirmed when one of its horses, Jojo Rabbit, was pulled by the regulator from last weekend’s Prix de la Vallee d’Auge at Deauville. No official reason was given for the forced withdrawal, but suggestions are that the French racing authorities are now sufficiently concerned about the source of Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ funding to investigate further.
Phoenix Thoroughbreds has always maintained his innocence, saying that it “categorically denies all allegations made against it and its owner, Mr Amer Abdulaziz, in legal proceedings against OneCoin and its conspirators.”
