Russian roulette by the Baltic Sea as convicted kidnapper buys-in

The Ministry of Internal Affairs consented to selling a piece of highly attractive land by the Baltic sea to a company owned by Russian criminals. The Ministry explained that it consulted the Internal Security Agency (ABW) on the issue, which had no reservations. However Rzeczpospolita found out how Michael Trastrup made his company more reliable - he transferred over EUR 2 million to the company's bank account, withdrawing the money one day later. Trastrup, who was sentenced for kidnapping and several financial swindles abroad, lured Ustronie Morskie's local government with a promise to build a huge tourist facility and even an international airport for $ 350 million. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A9) D.W.