Legal
US Is Trying to Seize Luxury NY Apartments of Former Mongolian Premier
- Sukhbaataryn Batbold allegedly purchased $14 milllion US homes
- Former prime minister not accused of committing any crimes
Sukhbaatar Batbold
Photographer: Nelson Ching/Bloomberg
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The US government is trying to seize two luxury midtown Manhattan apartments belonging to a former Mongolian prime minister, alleging he bought them by funneling millions of dollars in proceeds from the nation’s lucrative mining contracts.
US prosecutors allege that while he was prime minister from 2009 to 2012, Sukhbaatar Batbold and his family used state mining contracts to illegally divert funds through shell companies for their personal use. Batbold, who currently serves as a member of the Mongolian parliament, allegedly siphoned $14 million into foreign bank accounts to buy the two high-end residences, according to a lawsuit unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.