January 28, 2026
Deutsche Bank branch raided in money laundering investigation
This morning, police conducted raids at Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest bank, in connection with a money laundering investigation.
The operations occurred at the main office in Frankfurt and at a Berlin branch, just a day ahead of the bank’s anticipated release of its annual results for 2025.
As reported by der spiegel, the search in Frankfurt commenced around 10 a.m. and involved approximately 30 undercover agents.
A spokesperson for the bank confirmed to AFP news agency that the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office was conducting measures on-site and that they are “fully cooperating with prosecutors.”
Why did authorities raid Deutsche Bank?
This investigation is being led by the Frankfurt state prosecutor’s office in collaboration with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and is reportedly connected to earlier transactions with international companies, where Deutsche Bank is suspected of laundering money.
According to Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), the company involved has links to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who faces sanctions from the European Union due to his close relationship with the Kremlin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich is widely recognized as the former owner of the Chelsea soccer club in the English Premier League, which was sold in May 2022 for approximately 2.5 billion pounds (2.88 billion euros, $3.44 billion) amid the conflict in Ukraine.
A spokesperson from the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office stated, “We cannot share more details about the business relationship, the transactions involved through Deutsche Bank, or the company itself.”
Additionally, Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that Deutsche Bank is under investigation for allegedly not reporting potential money laundering incidents promptly, a criticism that has been directed at the bank in the past.
In fact, the headquarters was previously raided in April 2022, and a special representative from the National Financial Supervisory Authority was assigned to oversee efforts in combating money laundering.
