Luxury-restaurant owner held in Barcelona financial crimes raid
Armenian-born Arman Mayilyan, who runs the exclusive Yubari, detained with 11 others on money laundering charges
Arman Mayilyan, an Armenian citizen who owns one of the most upscale restaurants in Barcelona, Yubari, was arrested on Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into a money laundering ring.
A total of 12 people are being held in connection with the investigation led by the Anti-Corruption Attorney’s Office and a Barcelona court.
Mayilyan is a successful businessman who is a well-known figure in Armenia
National Police and regional Mossos d’Esquadra officers also searched several homes and business premises in search of evidence of financial crimes by a network made up chiefly of Ukrainian nationals.
A leading member of the ring, Stephan Chernovetsky – son of a former mayor of Kiev – was arrested in the Catalan coastal town of S’Agaró.
Investigators believe that Yubari, which specializes in Asian food, was at the heart of a scheme to launder large amounts of money from illegal sources. Located on Barcelona’s Diagonal Avenue, Yubari – which is named after the most expensive melons in the world, according to its website – offers haute cuisine from Japan in a luxury setting.
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Mayilyan is a successful businessman and a well-known figure in his native Armenia. Over the last four years, he has developed extensive business and social connections in Barcelona, sponsoring an Olympic fight club and paying for its members’ trips to Armenia and Eastern Europe. He is listed as the manager of three companies in Spain specializing in food and real estate.
English version by Susana Urra.
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