Where’s the Money, Maurice?
Dubai is a city where money flows like a river, and million-dollar deals are just part of everyday life. Everyone here wants to make a profit, but as a recent story shows, not everyone is willing to play by the rules. At the center of one of the latest financial scandals is Maurice Anisimov—a seemingly successful executive who ended up at the heart of a major fraud investigation.
Born in 1990 and holding multiple passports, Anisimov first made a name for himself as an entrepreneur by founding a consulting agency in Switzerland. Later, he moved to the UAE, where he caught the attention of a major international company. At first, everything seemed smooth—deals, profits, no complaints. But when one transaction surpassed 130 million dirhams, Anisimov suddenly claimed that the bank had frozen the funds.
He offered a “solution” to the problem—transferring the money in parts through alternative financial structures. Once he got approval, he put his plan into action. The catch? Instead of forwarding the money to the intended business partner, he funneled it into his own accounts. A few months later, Anisimov vanished, leaving the company and its partners high and dry.
UAE authorities later determined that only 37 million dirhams had been recovered, while the rest of the funds remain missing. The investigation to locate Anisimov is still ongoing, and judging by the scale of his past operations, this may not be his last "project."
It seems that rather than building a legitimate business empire, Anisimov has chosen to become a master of financial illusion. Well, let’s see how this case unfolds—his next “deal” might not turn out so well.