A MYSTERY client has offered up a huge bounty — reportedly the biggest in history — for information about who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
German-based fraud investigation company Wifka has been charged with investigating the MH17 disaster, with its anonymous client offering a $30 million reward for information that identifies who shot the plane down.
The passenger jet was brought down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing the 298 people on board, including 38 Australians.
“After the terrible assassination or ‘accident’, all political parties, at home and abroad, said they owed it to the victims, their families and the public to clarify the circumstances of the crash and present evidence for what happened. None of this has yet been done,” Wifka said in an online statement.
Private investigator Josef Resch will lead the investigation, which is seeking answers on who shot the plane down, who gave the order, and who covered it up.
“Everyone can be bought. It’s just a question of how much,” Mr Resch told German finance magazine Capital.
Who provided the money? It’s a mystery. Not even Mr Resch knows the identity of his client, but he said he was certain the offer was genuine.
However, he did tell Capital that one of the middlemen spoke in a Swiss accent. He said he believed the probe was politically or economically motivated, and suggested there could be a super-rich Russian who was keen to damage President Vladimir Putin and drive him out of office.
The wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 two days after it crashed in a sunflower field near the village of Rassipnoe, in rebel-held eastern Ukraine. Picture: AFP Photo/Dominique Faget Source: AFP
Mr Resch has already received 40,000 euros for accepting the job, and will receive an additional 500,000 euros if he is successful in uncovering the desired information.
He has more than 30 years’ experience as a private eye, and is known for exposing hedge fund manager Florian Homm in 2012.
The reward is reportedly the biggest bounty in history, surpassing the $25 million offered for the capture of al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden.
The $30 million is being held in Switzerland and Wifka is encouraging whistleblowers to make contact through a lawyer to ensure their identity is kept confidential.
The US has accused Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine of being responsible for the attack, but the separatists and Russia have denied involvement.
The Malaysian passenger jet, which was shot down over rebel-held east Ukraine with the loss of all 298 people on board, was hit by numerous “high-energy objects”, according to a report from Dutch investigators that backs up claims it was downed by a missile. Picture: AFP Photo/Alexander Khudoteply Source: AFP
source: news.com.au
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