The boyfriend of a corrupt Uzbek pop singer, socialite and former UN ambassador bought luxury properties in London worth more than £17 million using shell companies, The Telegraph can disclose, raising fears about money laundering.

A French judicial investigation into suspected corruption surrounding the sale to Kazakhstan of satellites made by aerospace giant EADS, now renamed Airbus Group, has discovered the trace of a mysterious payment of 8.8 million euros made by the group to an offshore company whose true owners are unknown, apparently even to Airbus.

Given that Vladimir Putin very much hopes to get a new political boost like the one he received following the Crimean Anschluss, there is “a high degree of probability” that he will seek to incorporate into the Russian Federation a portion of some other post-Soviet state, EuromaidanPress reported citing a Moscow-based blogger. 

New infrastructure helps ex-Soviet grain exporters reach Asian markets

The Paradise Papers leak shows that Sauat Mynbayev, a key in Kazakhstan’s energy sector, could have conspired to hide millions in offshore havens.

Even after a week of inquiries, investigators in Kazakhstan appear to be no closer to discovering the identity of the buyer of a 65 million euro ($76.5 million) apartment in Paris. Real estate insiders have said the property was sold to a Kazakh government official, but declined to provide a name.