Australian police want to take from Kadyrov laundered by him half a million USD

Australian newspaper Herald Sun has reported on plans of the Australian police to take away from Kadyrov half a million US dollars laundered by him at the Melbourne race. The newspaper wrote:

"The Federal Government has less than a week to decide whether to freeze $ 420,000 in Melbourne Cup prizemoney due to be sent to Chechen tyrant Ramzan Kadyrov.

Accused of links to political murders and money laundering, Kadyrov, 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 in this month's Melbourne Cup.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia has urged anyone with information that transferring the winnings to Kadyrov 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 Kadyrov 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 Kadyrov 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.

"Kadyrov is believed to have amassed a fortune from from the illegal sale of Chechen oil, but I don't have any solid evidence", Petrov told reporters.

Human Rights Watch International quotes humanitarian groups reporting crimes linked to police and security personnel under Kadyrov, which include abduction, torture, executions, burning the homes of opponents and the operation of secret prisons.

Despite the allegations, federal Home Affairs Minister of Australia Brendan O'Connor said the Government had no information that prevented the money being paid.

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 "Kadyrov controversy" in Australia and in England, the British Horseracing Authority is bringing in new rules next year that would ban Mr Kadyrov, and others of questionable character, from racing horses in Britain.

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 Kadyrov", the Australian newspaper wrote.