“Cyprus had applied in June to become the fifth nation to receive a bailout in the euro crisis. But there are no signs whatsoever that Cyprus is willing to commit to a serious austerity program, sources in Brussels said. The talks could now be delayed by accusations that Cyprus is lax on money-laundering. Banks in Cyprus hold $26 billion (€20.33 billion) in deposits by Russian investors. According to the BND, most of this money has been illegally moved abroad to evade Russian tax authorities. By Cypriot standards it’s a tremendous sum given that the island’s entire annual GDP amounts to €17 billion.”
