UK charges former biodiesel trader with fraud, money laundering

The U.K. Serious Fraud Office has charged former Greenergy Fuels Ltd. biodiesel trader Gianni Rivera with fraud and money laundering. Rivera is charged with two counts of fraud by abuse of position and one count of money laundering.

The main allegation is that Rivera, while facilitating trades between Greenergy and Dutch trading partner Biodiesel Kampen BV, received payments from Cornelis Bunschoten, director of Biodiesel Kampen. The SFO alleges that, on several occasions, some money received by Rivera was transferred back to companies affiliated with Bunschoten.

The SFO opened its investigation into Greenergy and various third parties in December 2018 in collaboration with Dutch authorities, and announced the case in May 2019. The company, however, is no longer a suspect in the investigation.

Rivera appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court by video Feb. 25.