Tax Authority: Crypto transactions worth millions of shekels lead to investigation
A suspect living abroad was detained upon arrival in Israel on suspicion of tax evasion and maintaining secret bank accounts in Russia. The court released him under restrictive conditions.
The Magistrate's Court in Haifa has released under restrictive conditions Leonid Lapshov, a former Haifa resident who currently lives mostly abroad, on suspicion of committing offenses under the Income Tax Ordinance and the Prohibition of Money Laundering Law.
As part of an investigation conducted by the Haifa and North Tax Investigation Office, it is suspected that Lapshov operated on a virtual currency trading platform abroad with significant volumes. Between 2019 and 2020, he allegedly carried out sales and conversions of virtual currencies totaling approximately 2 million shekels. Furthermore, it is suspected that from 2019 to 2021, Lapshov held three bank accounts in Russia, containing sums of approximately half a million dollars, 600,000 rubles, and 20,000 euros, respectively.
Yesterday, the investigation became public; the suspect was questioned and presented with evidence collected by the Tax Investigation Unit. Later that day, he was brought before a judge at the Haifa Magistrate's Court, who released him under restrictive conditions, including a 180-day travel ban and the surrender of his passport.
