Elspeth A. Lodge

Toronto Police are searching for 95 gold bars allegedly bought in Montreal with a fraudulently obtained bank draft.

The bank draft, worth $1,895,751, was withdrawn in February in Montreal.

Two suspects have been detained for trying to sell some of the bars in Toronto, but so far police have only recovered one 10-ounce (nearly 300 grams) bar (pictured, above). And seventy-four like it — from Australia’s Perth Mint, with the mint’s symbol on one side and a kangaroo on the other — are still missing. Police are also looking for nineteen one-kilogram gold bars and two 100-gram bars.

Police are still seeking the identity of the person or persons who obtained the bank draft.

“We’re barking up a few trees, it’s an ongoing investigation” said Detective Ruth Moran of the Financial Crimes Unit on Wednesday.

“They could be from anywhere,” said Constable Tony Vella of the Toronto Police of the suspects. He asked the public to come forward with any information regarding the incident, and warned jewellery and metal businesses to be lookout for the bars.

The first suspect was arrested on February 14 when he tried to sell a bar to a Toronto gold company, said Constable Vella. Two days later, the gold bar was recovered when officers caught a second man allegedly attempting to sell it.

Toronto residents Thevarajah Thambipillai, 55, and Senthuran Kanapathipillai, 32, are both charged with possession of property obtained by crime.

The Canadian Bankers Association is offering a reward of up to $50,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to the recovery of the gold bars.

Russian government officials called in their lawyers on Tuesday after one of Moscow’s popular nightclubs announced a “Putin Party” dance night, reports say.

The party’s theme was chosen by a group of female clubbers, who voted for the most attractive man from a list which included the likes of star footballer David Beckham and American actor Bruce Willis, said the club’s art director, Artyom Shatrov.

“We wanted to stress that we are choosing the prime minister above everyone,” a club spokeswoman said to UPI.com.

But, it’s not just the theme of the party that concerns government officials, rather the racy manner in which the PM’s name and image is being presented, on flyers and banners in central Moscow. The main slogan? “Object of desire.”

Billboards at the nightclub Rai, which translates to “heaven” or “Paradise,” flaunt the slogan “Spring is coming. I want … the prime minister,” reports the Moscow Times. The club released flyers where the PM’s name is decorated with a lipstick kiss, says AFP. They also hung a large banner across a central street, which read “Putin Party” across it, along with the the slogan “I want a prime minister!”

“We will consult lawyers and decide what to do,” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told the RIA Novosti news agency. He did not imply if Putin plans to take legal action.

Mr. Shatrov said to AFP the event would proceed despite Peskov’s comment. “Nobody told us to cancel it. The Kremlin did not contact us,” he said. “There wasn’t any point in cancelling it.”He then revealed the highlight of the party will be a DJ presenting a remix of a classic Fats Domino song, “Blueberry Hill,” that Putin performed (in English) at a recent charity gala in Saint Petersburg.

Reports say using the PM’s image and name without his consent could be against Russian law— Putin’s press secretary said Tuesday that he would consult lawyers about whether the club broke a law against using a person’s name and image without consent.

- With files from AFP

 

An sign advertising a dance night called Putin Party with the slogan reading in Russian “I want a prime minister” is pictured above one of the main street in Moscow on March 1, 2011.

An sign advertising a dance night called Putin Party with the slogan reading “I want a prime minister” in Moscow, Mar. 1, 2011.