GUERNSEY PRESS RELEASE ABOUT Dr RUJA IGNATOVA & ONECOIN AND £8,590,200.92

Dr RUJA IGNATOVA - COLLABORATION BETWEEN GERMANY AND GUERNSEY RESULTS IN THE FORFEITURE OF THE PROCEEDS OF CRIME

Following international legal cooperation between Guernsey and Germany, on 16^th January 2026, the Royal Court of Guernsey ordered the registration and enforcement of an overseas forfeiture order made against funds to the sum of GBP 8,590,200.92, which had been found, in German legal proceedings, to be the proceeds of Dr Ruja Ignatova's criminal conduct.

The money was held with a Guernsey financial institution, for the benefit of two Guernsey-registered companies,

• Abbots House Penthouse Limited ('AHPL') and
• Abbots Property Limited ('APL').

Dr Ruja Ignatova commissioned the purchase of shares in both companies to acquire two freehold flats in Kensington, London.

The companies are administered in Guernsey.

The Order followed an application by His Majesty's Comptroller, to the Royal Court, to register and enforce a forfeiture order which had been made by the Regional Court in Bielefeld, Germany, in respect to the funds (referred to as an overseas forfeiture order).

The proceedings in Guernsey commenced following mutual legal assistance requests from the Public Prosecutors Office in Bielefeld, Germany. The requests initially sought the assistance of the Guernsey authorities to restrain the funds, and then to forfeit them in accordance with Guernsey law.

The case in Germany concerned Dr Ruja Ignatova and OneCoin; a fraudulent cryptocurrency based on the Bitcoin model and associated blockchain technology.

The German proceedings found that OneCoin was released with fraudulent intent by Dr Ruja Ignatova and others. Criminal Proceedings against Dr Ruja Ignatova could not conclude as her whereabouts is unknown. Therefore, the German authorities initiated "Independent Confiscation Proceedings" which led to the overseas forfeiture order.

The overseas forfeiture order applies to the remaining proceeds of sale of the two London flats owned by the AHPL and APL.

His Majesty's Comptroller said:

"I would like to thank the German authorities for their professionalism and co-operation in this matter and our Economic Crime team for their hard work and dedication.

This case demonstrates the commitment of both jurisdictions to combatting the laundering of the proceeds of crime and to recovering unlawfully obtained assets.

It also highlights the importance of international co-operation, through information sharing and mutual legal assistance, and demonstrates that non-conviction-based asset forfeiture is a powerful tool in the fight to deprive individuals of the proceeds of their criminal conduct.

I would also like to thank domestic partners, particularly the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Economic and Financial Crime Bureau, for their support in this matter.

The Bielefeld Public Prosecutor's Officer said:

"We would like to take this opportunity to expressly thank the judicial authorities of Guernsey and their partners once again for their long-standing and excellent cooperation in this extensive case. The case represents a gratifying example of successful, collaborative partnerships in the field of international legal assistance and victim protection."

The seized funds will be paid into Guernsey's seized assets fund, in accordance with the Order, and will then be returned to the German authorities, where they will be used to compensate the multiple victims in this matter.

 22^nd January 2026

SOURCE

https://guernseylawofficers.gg/article/207074/IGNATOVA-PRESS-RELEASE-JANUARY-15TH-2026