Bangladesh, March 7 -- A Belarusian businessman once closely associated with the regime of President Aleksandr Lukashenko has claimed that companies linked to the family of a former Cypriot president acted as nominal owners of his businesses while he was under European Union sanctions. The revelation emerged in a written statement by businessman Yury Chyzh, who said he relied on nominee shareholders to retain control over corporate assets registered in Cyprus.

The admission came in a notarized letter Chyzh sent in August 2024 to the Cyprus Registrar of Companies. The document surfaced as part of an ongoing legal dispute over ownership of assets tied to Chyzhs business empire. Civil society organization Rabochy Ruch obtained the letter an...